Of Love and War
by P4rtn3rs 1n Cr1m3
Summary: Aradia hates being the new girl, especially in a new country. She vows to not make friends since she won't be staying long. That is, until she is saved by Sollux from a bad situation. Sollux has not known love for a few years, and he will not say why. By saving Aradia, he brings her into high school drama and gang affairs. Will the pair grow close, knowing it could mean disaster?
1. Chapter 1

**Hello everyone. I have decided to write this Solradia fanfiction. It is a Humanstuck AU centering around Sollux and Aradia. The way I will structure this story is one chapter in Aradia's POV, the next in Sollux's. I like this story and I hope you do too. I will be uploading hopefully every other week.**

 **Enjoy!**

Chapter 1

Aradia sighed and stared thoughtfully out the window, her eyes scanning the seemingly endless skyscrapers that rolled across the horizon. Music blasted through her headphones pounding out the beat of "Centuries" by Fallout Boy. The music provided a distraction from her destination and why she was going there. Closing her eyes, Aradia willed away her thoughts and became lost in the song.

Her peace did not last long as the car soon came to a stop. A muffled voice called to her over Aradia's pounding music. Opening her eyes slowly, she sat up and yawned. She must have fallen asleep at some point. Taking her headphones out, she sleepily looked at the speaker. "What was that again? Sorry."

The speaker was Aradia's aunt, Lynn Paint. While Aradia called her aunt, the two of them were unrelated. Lynn had been best friends with Aradia's mom before moving to the states, and promised to keep Aradia safe until things settled down. "I said we're here," She repeated, her voice soft and gentle. "Welcome to Houston."

She got out of the car and grabbed the small duffel bag that sat at her feet that held the few personal belongings she thought to keep. Lynn came to her side. "I think you're going to like it here." The blonde haired woman smiled at Aradia. "Let's go get you settled in." Aradia followed her, letting her new caretaker lead her inside the pristine complex.

They walked to the elevator and went up a few floors. They walked to the apartment at the end of the floor and Lynn opened the door. "I hope you find everything to your liking. It's not much, but it's hopefully only temporary." She smiled and showed Aradia to her room. It wasn't a huge room, but it's better than what she used to live in. She set her bag down on the single bed and turned to face Lynn. "Thank you so much Auntie Lynn. Are you sure it's okay I stay here for a while? I don't want to intrude on your life."

Lynn walked to Aradia and hugged her, then the both sat on her bed. "Of course it's okay. I wouldn't have told your mom it was if I didn't feel comfortable with it. You'll love it here, and I think you'll make so many friends."

Aradia put on a brave smile. "I'm sure I will." Before she had arrived though, she had made a promise that she wouldn't have any friends or make any attachments. She didn't want to have to say goodbye to anyone.

Lynn gave a grin. "How about you go exploring for a while. Your mom told me you loved that." This was true. The high school junior had always loved to explore and had a rather intense curiosity. As a child she would make forts, pretending they were ruins and she was Indiana Jones trekking through the jungle looking for a glittering ancient treasure.

"Yeah. Thanks. I think I will." Aradia stood up and grabbed her phone, stuffing it in her pocket.

"Be back before dinner, okay?"

"Sure thing. Bye Auntie Lynn!" Aradia called back before heading out the door and to the elevator. She pressed the button and waited patiently for the elevator to arrive. It eventually did, and she walked in, standing alone. It descended and arrived on the first floor. She stepped out and walked through the lobby, out into the August air. It was quite humid, which she wasn't very use to. She sighed and walked down the sidewalks and past the bustling streets.

Aradia paid no heed to where she was going as she twisted and turned through streets, avoiding shadowy alleyways. She left those dark pathways for another adventure through the concrete jungle. Jegus she was a nerd. After a while she found she was the only one on the side walk and the sun was waning on the horizon. She was about to turn around and head home when she felt the hairs on the back of her neck stood straight up. She turned her head slowly and saw a huge man standing in the place from which she had come and where she meant to go. The young woman turned her head forward and walked swiftly around the corner and onto the next street. Her heart raced as she turned around again and saw the same towering man following her. She broke into a run.

Aradia's feet slammed against the concrete as she raced through the maze of deserted streets. Her heart jumped when she heard the thudding of heavy steps behind her. She kept running, twisting, and turning around corners. If she had not been running from a scary man, she would have compared the maze-work of back alleys to ancient ruins dying to be explored by none other than her favorite movie hero Indiana Jones. In her haste and fear she didn't see the outstretched foot sticking out from behind the next turn. Her foot snagged against the other and she tripped, falling flat on her face. She cried out and hit the asphalt rather hard. The man who had tripped her snickered. "Looks like we caught another brat, Boxcars." Aradia snickered inwardly despite the situation. What kind of name is Boxcars?

He only grunted in reply and she felt the ground shake as he walked toward her. The bulky man roughly yanked her up by the arm and she emitted a small yelp. That's when the realization that she had been kidnapped hit her like a brick wall. She began to kick and scream and struggle. Her efforts seemed to have no effect on the man however. The shorter one scowled. "Dammit, I wish the lady would just let me stab the stupid brats we abduct. They're always so noisy." He rubbed his temples as if he had a headache. The man holding her put a hand over her mouth, muffling her screams. "Will you just shut up already? Get her in the car."

"Roger, Slick." The trio spun around and began to walk through the maze of alleyways. " _Oh my gosh I'm getting kidnapped. Think Aradia, think."_ Aradia closed her eyes in concentration, racking her brain for a solution. Suddenly, the man holding her came to an abrupt stop and gave a low growl. "Looks like the punks found us." Aradia's eyes snapped open and she was startled and relieved to find three teenagers around her age blocking the exit of the alley. The one who stood on the left was wearing a tank top, leaving his arms, ripped with muscles, exposed. He was tall and towered over Aradia, almost reaching her kidnapper's height. He was tanned and his hair was jet black. Spanish decent if she was correct, though she couldn't be sure in this light. The one who stood on the right was short and scrawny. His hair was red and his skin was rather pale. Freckles showed on his cheeks and he wore a rather pissed off expression.

Her eyes finally settled on the one in the middle which she presumed to be the leader. He was tall and thin but not scrawny like the guy on the right. He was sleek and built like a soccer player. He wore a confident smirk on his face that made you think he would get whatever he wanted when he wanted it. He had brown hair that was a few shades darker than her own. The most intriguing thing about him though was that he wore 3D looking glasses. They were oval rimmed with the right one being blue and the left one being red. Aradia could not see his eyes through them, and she most certainly could not keep her eyes off of him. Aradia then realized that while she had been analyzing the trio she had completely missed the conversation between the groups. The man holding her stumbled backwards as the teenager in the muscle shirt ran up and punched him in the face. He let go of her and, suddenly remembering the situation, she bolted. She sprinted through the lamp lit streets to her apartment complex and did not stop until she reached her bed and flopped down on it with an adrenaline, fear, and tired-filled huff. That had been the most terrifying experience in her life but none of that was on her mind right now. As she closed her eyes there was only one image imprinted on her eyelids: the face of the boy with the funny glasses. She slept pondering the color of the eyes that resided behind those glasses.

 **Well that was chapter 1 for you. I hope you enjoyed it. Please leave comments and stuff if you liked it. I love getting feedback.**

 **See you in two weeks!**

 **~Jane**


	2. Chapter 2

**I hope you enjoyed the first chapter of this fic. I know it is a little slow, but it should soon pick up once the ball gets rolling.**

 **DISCLAIMER: I do not own Homestuck, as you might have guessed. Andrew Hussie owns it.**

Chapter 2

The alarm clock blared throughout the room. Sollux groaned as the ear-wrenching sound awakened him from his peaceful slumber. He threw the mustard yellow sheets off of him and reached a hand to turn off the annoying device. He sighed as the deafening alarm was shut off. He unwillingly rolled out of bed and stood up with a yawn. He glanced down at what he was wearing and realized he had fallen asleep in his clothes, again. _Oh well,_ he thought, _at least I won't have to change_. He opened the door and walked into the small kitchen where his roommate was already waiting with a scowl on his face. Sollux smirked. Karkat was a red haired teen with freckles dotting his face. He wore a permanent scowl and was always so pissed off and pushy. He was also very fun to tease. The red head turned to Sollux and scowled. "Wipe that stupid smirk off your face," Karkat said rather loudly. He should really work on his voice volume. Sollux smiled.

"Morning to you too little miss sunshine. Where's breakfast?" His lisp was prominent as he spoke.

"Since when am I your maid? Make some for yourself." Sollux grinned wider.

"Are you sure? I could tell Dave about your-" He was quickly cut off by Karkat, who started turning red, as he did whenever you talked about Dave.

"You wouldn't dare."

"I would," Sollux responded, meeting his eyes. Karkat huffed angrily in defeat.

"Fine jerk." Karkat turned and grabbed a box of cereal out of the pantry. Sollux walked away happily. He had succeeded in triumphing over Karkat once again. He sat down and waited patiently for Karkat to finish. It wasn't long before the red head returned with two bowls of cereal. He slammed down the bowl in front of Sollux, spilling out some of its contents on to the table. "You're freakin' welcome." Sollux smirked and began eating. Within minutes, he finished and placed the empty bowl in the sink.

Sollux walked to the bathroom and quickly brushed his teeth, the minty taste wiping away the fruity taste of the cereal. As he spit he looked at his face closely in the mirror. On his left cheek was a bruise from the previous night. He had been wandering the streets with Karkat and Equius looking for a gang of murderers nicknamed the Midnight Crew. Normally he wouldn't care in the slightest about petty thieves, but they had done something to him that he could not forgive. They needed to pay. He scowled at the thoughts of the Midnight Crew but pulled himself together at the thought of the girl he saved. Sollux remembered her staring at him. He blushed slightly and remembered that he had to be staring at her. She was pretty to say the least. She had long light brown hair that was unruly in places. She had deep brown eyes that were warm and kind like a hearth. _She is bea-_ he cut his own thoughts off. _You only saw her once you idiot! You don't even know her name. Not like it matters, you won't ever see her again._ He sighed then stared at his eyes in the mirror in disgust. Sollux's eyes were the reason he always wore normal glasses that had red and blue lenses. He was born with two different colored eyes. One was a striking ice blue and the other was a light hazel with gold speckles. As a child he had always been teased about it. He always had his mother and father to help him through it, but when they… left, he decided to just keep it a secret. Only one other person knew and that was his roommate Karkat. He sighed and grabbed his glasses on the table and placed them over his eyes. He walked out of the bathroom to a scowling short Karkat. "Took you long enough."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, whatever shorty. Let's get downstairs before we miss the bus, again."

"Shut up freak of nature." Karkat said jokingly. The pair then grabbed their backpacks that waited by the door and walked out of their run-down apartment. Sollux locked it behind him then ran down the flights of stairs to the first level, beating Karkat there. He walked through the lobby and out the doors to barely catch the school bus before it left. His empty seat in the back was open as usual. He slumped into the uncomfortable worn down chair and looked out the window as the bus lurched forward. He watched as the city flew by him. The bus eventually came to a stop at an unfamiliar apartment complex. He frowned. Sollux didn't remember ever stopping at this particular building. It looked nice and it seemed to scrape the clouds. It must have been some fancy complex like the one Feferi, Equius, Vriska, and Eridan lived in. A girl who looked slightly younger than himself stepped in. She had her head lowered shyly, so he couldn't make out her face. She had messy light brown curls that cascaded down off her shoulders to midway down her back. He grew a little nervous once he realized she was walking toward him. Sollux looked around hoping she was heading toward another seat, but as he did he realized that his seat was the only one open. She stopped in the aisle to his right.

"Um, mind if I sit with you?" Her quiet voice asked as she looked up, her hair falling out of her face. His eyes widened a bit as he recognized her, and he saw her chocolate brown eyes do the same as well. She was the girl from last night. The same one he and his gang had saved. He took a deep breath trying to calm his racing heart. _Play it cool Captor._ Sollux shrugged.

"Whatever." The girl gave a small smile and plopped into the seat next to him, setting down her bag. As the bus started up again neither of them spoke to each other. Sollux guessed that like him she was lost in her own thoughts. There was one thing on his mind. _What is her name?_ He gathered his courage and turned to her, only to find that she was staring at him. Both of them began to speak.

"Hey I was wondering if-" They both stopped. "Oh, you first." The girl flushed.

"Sorry. I, um, only wanted to know your name." She blushed a bit more.

"Sollux. Sollux Captor," Sollux replied, his lisp shining through. He cursed himself in his head. _Gog dammit! Stupid lisp!_ He was surprised when she didn't smile, snicker, or laugh at his funny way of speaking. She didn't seem to even care.

"Hi Sollux. I'm Aradia Megido." _Aradia. What a pretty name._ He smiled and wished he had the courage to say it aloud. They both fell into a comfortable silence as the bus trucked to the small high school known as Westwood. The bus slowed to a stop and everyone filed out. Aradia stood up and whispered in a quiet voice, "Thanks for saving me," and walked out of the yellow bus. Sollux was rather dumbstruck by her and had no idea why. After a few minutes the bus driver yelled back at him.

"Hey Captor! Are you going to stand there doe-eyed all day? You're gonna be late!" Sollux immediately snapped out of his daze. He quickly grabbed his stuff then ran down the aisle and out of the bus. Even though he rushed to get to class there was only one thing on his mind. _Her name is Aradia. Aradia Megido._

 **Alright. I will see you in two weeks!  
~Jane**


	3. Chapter 3

**Now that you have met both main characters, hopefully you will start to see some plot develop in the minds of these two. Also, if I haven't yet mentioned it, this story's first two chapters were adopted from the other Partner in Crime on this account who goes by Roxy. She wrote it years ago and let me read over it and continue. Roxy is to thank for starting off with the beautiful language and beginning plot.**

 **DISCLAIMER: I don't own Homestuck. Too bad...**

Chapter 3

"Class, we have a new student today. Why don't you stand up and tell us your name and something about yourself?" Aradia was used to this. She had moved a few times in her life, although never one this drastic. She stood up and cleared her throat.

"Hi. My name is Aradia Megido, and I was born in the states, but spent a lot of my life in Europe." She gave a small smile, then sat back down in her seat. The teacher smiled.

"Great. Nice to meet you Aradia. Feel free to come to me if you need help with anything. Okay class, turn to page 394. We will start reading The Pit and the Pendulum by Edgar Allen Poe.

The teacher continued in her lecture and reading. Aradia didn't focus on much of it. She was still a bit red from her encounter with the boy on the bus. _Sollux. Sollux Captor. That's such a nice name. His lisp was cute. I could listen to it for hours. It helps that he's handsome, not that looks matter at all. I do wonder what lies behind those glasses though. They seemed to be real, but then why would they be tinted? And why two different colors? And his hair, his hair looked so lovely. It was like a brownie with chocolate chips in it. A beautiful mixture of dark and slightly lighter brown that just made me want to run my fingers through it. I couldn't stop staring at his lips. They looked so soft and pink and I just want to- No. I shouldn't be thinking this. He seems like the type of guy to have a beautiful girlfriend. Besides, it's not like we are friends or anything. All he did was save me. He must do that a lot with different people, based on how he handled the situation. I shall never stand a chance with him._ Aradia continued in her thoughts of the dark-haired boy for most of the class until the bell interrupted her. She started to collect her things when the teacher called her. Aradia hesitantly walked up. "Y-yes?"

"I noticed you were a bit spacey in class today. Are you alright? Is there anything wrong?" The teacher seemed friendly, and had a very motherly tone about her voice. Aradia felt like she was going to get on with this teacher quite nicely. She felt like she could trust her with all her problems simply by her composure and body language.

"No Ms. Maryam. I just have to get use to things here that's all." Porrim Maryam, or Ms. Maryam, as we were supposed to call her, was very pretty. She couldn't have been more than 25 years old. She was on the taller, skinnier side, but was femininely muscular. She had long, gorgeous caramel hair and bright green eyes. She has so much that Aradia could only hope to have. Natural beauty and grace.

Porrim squinted her eyes at Aradia for a moment, then finally spoke in a calming voice. "I'm not supposed to do this, but how about tomorrow after school you and I go grab some coffee and I can help you situate yourself into Westwood High. It's not an easy place to settle. Does that sound good?" Aradia couldn't help but smile at the friendly, almost motherly, offer.

"Sure, that sounds wonderful. I will come by tomorrow after school and we can walk to the café down the road." Porrim nodded, and Aradia collected her stuff and headed out the door to her next class. She scooted through the passageways of lockers and classrooms, wanting to go exploring through the school. But, there were more important matters at hand. She found her Calculus class and walked to a seat in the back of the room, sitting down and trying to go unnoticed. Of course, when you're the new kid, you can't do that easily. She started shuffling through her things in her bag when a pair of pretty large shoes appeared in front of her. She looked up, seeing the muscular teen from the previous night standing there. Looking at him up close for the first time, she noticed his arms were scratched up slightly on the outside of his biceps, but they all seemed to be scratches in groups of 3.

"Excuse me. I don't mean to bother you but, is this seat taken at all?" the black haired teen asked, motioning to the chair next to Aradia. He had a fairly deep voice and spoke rather formally for a high school student, Aradia noticed. Then again, so did she most of the time. The tall male cleared his throat, still waiting for a response.

"Oh. Sorry. Yes. I mean, no! No, it's not taken. Yes you may sit there." Aradia smiled a friendly smile. Her mom always told her that one could fix almost anything with a warm and sincere smile. The boy nodded and sat down.

"Thank you," He gave a feeble attempt at a smile and looked at Aradia. "I suppose formal introductions are in order. My name is Equius Zahhak. Pleased to make your acquaintance, although, I believe we have met before. Weren't you the girl who-" Aradia cut him off.

"Yes. That was me. I would rather you not say it too loud though. Not trying to be rude or anything, but I would like to avoid as much attention as possible," Aradia said, lowering her voice slightly. "But yes, you and your gang saved me last night. Thank you, by the way. I really appreciated it. My name is Aradia Megido." She flashed a small grin toward him before shifting back in her seat.

Equius looked as though he was deep in thought for a moment, then displayed a smile of mostly chipped teeth. "It was no problem. You really shouldn't thank me, as I did not do most of the saving. It was Sollux's idea to save you in the first place. He heard the struggling going on and couldn't help but jump in to save you." He looked as if he was going to say more, but the bell rang and the teacher walked in to begin class. Aradia stood up and gave her usual new student spiel then continued on with class.

Again, Aradia found herself lost in her own thoughts. _Equius seems really nice, which I never thought I would say about someone in a gang. I thought gang members were all the delinquent, former criminal, flunk classes kind of bunch. I suppose because that's all they show on television. Anyway, by his stature I assumed he was at least 20, but I guess he is not much older than I am. That's good. I hope he is always this nice. It would be nice to befriend someone who has the ability to throw his weight around… literally. I wonder how well he knows Sollux. I should ask him. Or would that be too rude and invasive? I mean, I've practically just met the guy. All he did was save my life once, and I presume that was on orders. And his arms, weird that they are scratched in groups of three. Maybe he has a cat or something._ Her thoughts were cut off by a paper being handed to her from the student in front of her. She took it and looked it over once. It appeared to be the homework due next class. Seemed pretty simple. She slipped it in her bag, and proceeded to stuff her notebook in as well. The bell rang, and she stood up. Equius called her name before she made it out the door, and he caught up to her, walking out with her.

"Thank you again for letting me sit there. Most people get rather intimidated by my size and refuse such simple matters. Well, I'm off to lunch. Are you heading in the same direction?" He asked, seeming rather hopeful.

Aradia felt quite bad for Equius. He seems like such a nice fellow. "No, sorry. My class is in another direction." She answered apologetically. They said their goodbyes and walked off.

Well, in all honesty, she didn't really have a next class, she had an off period. She was only a junior, but she was well advanced in her studies, so the school allowed her an off period to do some of her more challenging homework. She headed to the lecture hall, where kids who don't want to hang out with a specific teacher tend to congregate for their off periods. She walked in and stopped dead in her tracks, heart fluttering. For sitting in one of the chairs, feet propped up on the table, was Sollux. Sollux Captor.

 **Hope you liked it. Please leave reviews if you did, or have suggestions or other comments. Thank you for reading.**

 **~Jane**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hello my amazing readers! I am so thankful for the amazing response I am getting from this story. I am glad you are enjoying it and hope you continue to do so.**

 **DISCLAIMER: I don't own anything about Homestuck.**

Chapter 4

Sollux looked up from his phone, and there she was. She looked like the shy girl he met on the bus earlier this morning, but at the same time, there was something different about her. Perhaps it was that she felt a little more comfortable with her surroundings. _Geez, she's beautiful. I know I shouldn't think that. I hardly know her, yet, I feel some sort of connection to her that I haven't felt with anyone in a long time. Not since…_ He ceased his thoughts, for he cared not to dwell on them. He found himself still staring at Aradia, and she must have taken notice because she was now staring at him. She gave a short wave at him, and he smiled his crooked grin. She started to approach him. She seemed to float in the air as though she was a phantom. Her hair blowing behind her just slightly, her long grey skirt doing the same. Aradia arrived to where he was sitting and the corners of her mouth turned upwards slightly.

"Do you mind if I sit with you?" She asked, slightly hesitant in her words. Sollux loved her voice. It was like satin flowing through his ears. He could listen to it for hours.

He removed his feet from the table they were resting on. "Of course. It's no problem." His lisp was still very prominent. It came and went, some days more noticeable than others. He prayed to Jegus that she wouldn't mind or comment on it. She sat down in the chair next to him, setting her things on the ground. "So, how has your day been so far?" Sollux asked, trying to play it cool.

Aradia thought for a moment before answering. "It's been fine. No one has been rude to me yet, and the teachers seem to be nice. I seem to have made a good impression on everyone so far. I'm in a class with Equius. We have Pre-Calculus together. Speaking of Equius, how old is he? He looks at least 20 in my opinion."

He listened intently, only saying something when she finished. "Naw. EQ is only 17, he's just really built. It's cool that you two have a class together. Wait, aren't you a junior? Pre-Cal is a senior class."

"Well, compared to where I've lived, the curriculum is very different, so I am far ahead in my studies. I take many higher level classes. That's also why I have an off period." Aradia seemed to be quite proud of her higher education.

 _Good for her._ Sollux thought. _It's nice to have people who actually care about learning._ "That's nice. So, off the topic of school, if you don't mind, what were you doing wandering the streets of Houston unaccompanied that late in the day yesterday? Downtown can be a pretty dangerous place." His voice filled with curiosity and concern.

Aradia looked down at her hands. "Well, I had just arrived and wanted to go exploring. I love to explore different places. Probably because I have this stupid obsession with Indiana Jones. He's my favorite movie character ever, because he likes archaeology like I do. Anyway, I went exploring, promising to be home by sundown, and I guess I just lost my way. Then those guys found me." Sollux tightened his fists when she mentioned 'those guys'. "Who were those men anyway?"

Sollux sighed. He didn't want her to get involved in any of this stuff he got himself into. He figured she wasn't going to accept no for an answer. "Come on. Let's talk outside." Sollux stood up, then helped up Aradia. The two then walked outside the study hall and stood next to the wall in the hallway. Sollux digressed with his story. "Those goons were a part of a gang called the Midnight Crew. They're into some bad stuff. They kidnap people for their leader, who no one has ever really seen. The people they kidnap rarely are ever found again, and those who are, are gravely injured or dead. My gang, The Alternians, is one of the few who fight these guys. We don't believe what they do is necessary. There is no reason to bring civilians into gang affairs. When I heard you struggling, we figured we would go and check the whole thing out, but probably not do anything. But when we discovered it was them trying to-" he paused, his breath catching. _Calm down Captor. You've done this for years, why is it tripping you up now?_ He recollected himself and continued. "Trying to hurt you and kidnap you, I had to do something. I didn't care who you were, but I've heard the things they do to girls your age. They basically use you as a prostitute and treat you like animals. They beat you, keep you in cages, give you only enough food to make you look appealing so they can rent you out to someone. They don't care who you are, you are their stolen property, and they will keep you until there isn't any more use for you." Aradia gasped. "Of course, that's only stories, but it's a popular enough theory that everyone believes it." He saw Aradia's chocolate brown eyes glisten, probably on the verge of tears. "I'm sorry. I'll stop. I didn't mean to frighten you. Let's talk about something-"

His words were cut off my Aradia throwing her arms around his neck. Her body started shuddering. Only small sobs could be heard, but they were only audible to him. He put his arms around her and stroked her back, consoling her. "Sshh. It's alright. You're okay now. I will protect you. I will always be here to protect you." They sat there in their embrace for some time. Sollux stroked her hair while Aradia cried. Eventually, they untangled from each other. Aradia's eyes were a bit red, but she looked beautiful to Sollux all the same. He reached up and wiped her eyes dry as she sniffled.

Aradia dried the last tear and whispered, "Thank you. I had no idea of what you saved me from. I am forever in your debt. I will do whatever it takes to repay you." Sollux was taken slightly aback by the comment. No one has ever offered such a sincere payment for his daily work.

"Really, don't mention it. It's all in a days' work. Of course, it helped that I was saving a pretty girl," Sollux added, looking down sheepishly. Aradia smiled that beautiful smile of hers and blushed. Sollux really didn't compliment girls on their looks often. He didn't want to get too attached to them. But, there was something different about Aradia. He sensed she too had an unforgiving past shared with few. He longed to learn more about it. He had never felt these feelings about someone outside his family. He didn't think feelings of this sort were possible for just another girl he'd saved. I mean, he'd saved plenty of girls from gangs. But this, this was different. This meant a lot to him for whatever reason. Sollux thought maybe, for some weird reason, this girl, Aradia Megido, meant something more to him than just another saved victim.

 **That's all for now folks! Please review if you like it, or have comments or suggestions or anything. I would love to hear your input.**

 **~Jane**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hello! Now that we are a few chapters in, this will hopefully be the last slow chapter (ie, the last chapter that happens all within the first day of school) XD From now on I hope to have some faster paced and some slower paced chapters.**

 **DISCLAIMER: I don't own Homestuck**

Chapter 5

The school day eventually finished with little more interaction with the boys she met, other than lunch, and Aradia rode the bus home by herself. _Hm. I guess Sollux doesn't take the bus home_. Aradia got off at her stop and rode the elevator up to the apartment. She was enthusiastically greeted by her aunt.

"Hello Aradia! How was your day? Were the other kids nice to you? Did you settle into the school okay?" Aradia smiled at the motherly gesture. She was glad someone was making an effort to make this place feel like home.

"It was fine. I found all my classes okay. Talked to a boy that I actually met yesterday. The teachers were nice. I'm going to go get coffee with my English teacher tomorrow after school if that's alright with you." Not wanting to explain the whole Sollux thing, she quickly turned around heading to her room.

Auntie Lynn grabbed her arm before she could avoid the inevitable conversation. "You met a boy? That's nice. How did you meet him yesterday?"

Aradia sighed, knowing she wasn't going to get out of telling her the whole truth. "Well, you know how I went walking yesterday evening?" Lynn nodded. "You might want to sit down." The two of them sat on the couch. "So, as I was turning around to go home, I ran into some guys from some gang called the Midnight Crew."

Lynn scowled. "I hate those guys. They're nothing but trouble. I'm sorry. I interrupted. Continue." She patted Aradia's thigh.

"Well, they grabbed me and tried to stuff me into their car when three guys showed up, a tall muscular one, a short freckly one, and the one that looked like their leader, wearing weird glasses. They all looked around my age, but they looked like they meant business. I don't remember the exchange between the two groups, but the tallest member of the three walked up to the man holding me and punched him, starting a fight. The one with the glasses yelled at me to run, so I did. Today, the short one and the leader rode on the same bus as me, the tall one, whose name is Equius, has a math class with me, and the leader, whose name is Sollux, has an off period with me. I talked more with Sollux and he explained the Midnight Crew to me." Aradia started tearing up remembering what had been told to her.

Lynn saw her crying and hugged her. "Oh honey that's terrible. I'm glad those boys were there to protect you, but why did they fight the Crew? Don't they know how dangerous those men are?"

The dark brunette looked up. "Sollux said he and the other two are a part of a gang called The Alternians. They are one of the few people who actually stand up to the Crew and try to put a stop to their actions. I am forever grateful that he… that they saved me that night." Her body began to shake with violent sobs. The two women sat in their small living room in silence apart from the sobs.

After some time, Lynn broke the silence. "Well, I'm glad you are okay. Now, how about some dinner? I made spaghetti. You like that don't you?" Aradia nodded. "Good then. Let's eat some food shall we?" The two stood up and dished themselves some pasta. "So, tell me about this teacher you want to hang out with tomorrow."

Aradia sat down in their nice dining chairs, which had seat cushions and were adorned in simple beading. "Her name is Ms. Maryam, and she's my English teacher. She noticed I wasn't very focused in class today and she asked if I was having any troubles. I told her I just needed time to adjust, and she invited me out for coffee to help me settle into Westwood."

"Oh that's wonderful dear!" Lynn exclaimed after finishing her mouthful of food. "You know when I was in school, I made friends with one or two teachers myself. It really helps when you are in trouble or just need someone to trust, especially in high school."

"Yeah. I'm pretty excited for it. It will be nice to be friends with a girl at this school too. I know she's older, and not a student, but still, it will be nice. I've only become sort of friends with three guys, and I use the term friends loosely." Aradia took another big mouthful of food, enjoying the red-sauced deliciousness.

The women sat then in silence for the remaining few minutes of their dinner. When they were done, Lynn picked up the plates. "I think I am going to go and read for the rest of the night. What are you going to do?"

"Um… probably do the bit of homework I have then draw or something. Thanks for dinner Auntie Lynn." Aradia stood up and hugged her Aunt, then proceeded to walk into her room, shutting the door. She pulled her small bit of homework out of her bag and sat on her bed with a pencil and clipboard. Her loose curls fell around her face as she looked down at her assignment. Immediately, her delicate hands swept across the page, writing beautiful cursive for every answer to every question. In no less than ten minutes she was finished, and her completed homework was exchanged for a sketchbook. Aradia flipped to a blank page and pondered what to draw. Her latest favorite had been to draw portraits of people she envisioned in her head. Her hand effortlessly began to lay out basic features of a human face. One with a semi-defined jaw and pointed chin. One with a medium sized nose and a smirk. Satisfied with the direction this was going, she continued, adding in more detail. The hair was messy and short, and she decided to skip the eyes and draw small oval glasses. _Now for the color_. She pulled out her small set of prismacolor colored pencils and began coloring. The skin, rather translucent, as if this character hasn't seen all that much sun. The lips having a slightly darker shade of pink, but not much. Moving to the hair, she opted for a dark brown, with some streaks of a lighter brown to give it definition. Finally, the glasses. _Wait… Where have I seen this before… Oh no. I know who this is._ Aradia grabbed two different colored pencils, shading in the two lenses, one blue and one red. She held up her work. _Sollux. Why can't I get him out of my mind? He may have saved my life from a terrible fate, but why do I keep thinking about him?_ Aradia shook her head and set the drawing down on her bedside table. She decided to just give up and sleep. Not even bothering to change, she slipped her long brunette hair into a ponytail and pulled her covers over her. _Oh mom, I hope you come get me soon. I have so many questions entering my life that I can't have answered. More answers means more attachments, and I know I'm not staying here long, right?_ Deciding not to dwell on those thoughts, she closed her eyes.

 **That's all for now! Sorry it's short-ish.**

 **~Jane**


	6. Chapter 6

**I want to apologize for having this out a week late. I got caught up with stuff. But, that just means two weeks in a row of updates. Yay!**

 **DISCLAIMER: I don't own Homestuck. Duh.**

Chapter 6

As the final bell rang, Sollux sauntered to the side of the building and waited for Karkat and Equius so they could go home. He sat on the bricks outlining one of the big trees the school called their 'Victory tree', since all the sports teams walked passed it before loading the busses and going to their game. He pulled out his phone and started scrolling through social media for a few minutes before Karkat walked up with Equius, and they were arguing about something. Or rather, Karkat was yelling about something and Equius was nodding along, saying little.

"All I'm saying is if Gary is going to call me something like that, I am entitled to know what that word means." Karkat griped. "I mean, what the hell is a shisno anyway?!"

Equius shrugged, contemplating this question. "Well, I have heard of the term before, but I'm not really sure there is anything on earth I can make it equivalent it to."

Sollux snickered, intrigued by this conversation. "Look, if you two nerds are done arguing, can we head home now? I've gotta go and visit someone before starting my homework."

"Wow, you mean you're actually going to do something related to school for once? That's an interesting change. What's next? Are you actually going to start cleaning the apartment?" The redhead chided Sollux, smirking.

The lanky teen responded by thumping his short friend on the back of the head. "I didn't ask for your sass KK. Come on guys, lets go." The three walked to Equius' car and drove to Sollux and Karkat's apartment complex. After about 15 minutes, Equius pulled up to the front doors.

"Hey. I'll see you two tomorrow I suppose." Equius turned to the two boys in the back. "Call me if anything is suspicious. Midnight activity seems to have increased lately."

"Yeah. Will do. Thanks EQ. See ya tomorrow." Sollux and Karkat grabbed their bags and jumped out of the car, watching their friend drive off. The taller boy looked at Karkat. "You go up to the apartment, and take my stuff if you don't mind. I'm gonna go visit someone."

Karkat gave his roommate a questioning look. "Are you sure? I know what happened last time you went over there. I don't want anything to anything to go wrong again."

Sollux rolled his eyes. "Yes, I am fully aware. I will be more careful this time. Don't worry. I think she doesn't have work tonight, so I won't be alone with him. See you later." He handed his stuff to Karkat and proceeded to walk inside. He made a left and walked down to the end of the corridor, stopping at one of the doors that was all too familiar to him. Sighing, he gave the door a knock.

"Who is it? Wait, is that the pizza guy? Man I'm starving!" A female voice called from the other side of the door.

The boy with glasses chuckled. "No it's not the pizza guy, Latula. It's Sollux, open up."

The door opened and Sollux was greeted with a smiling face wearing red glasses, black lipstick and… was that paint splatters on her face? "Hi Sollux! Dude it's been awhile since you've visited. What's the occasion?"

Sollux shrugged. "Nothing really. Just thought I would come and check in with you guys. What's up with your face?"

"Oh that." Latula laughed, gently wiping some paint out of her naturally-caramel-and-dyed-teal hair. "Yeah, Tuna and I had a totally rad paint fight. We were just painting pictures originally, but things obviously got a little out of hand. Come on in. Mituna, guess who's here to see you?"

"Who? Wait I'll be there in a minute. I think I got paint in my hair. And my clothes. And my everywhere else." A child-like voice called from the other room.

The young Captor walked in, shutting the door behind him. Inside was a fun, modern styled room with a teal colored couch, yellow arm chairs, and a multicolored kitchen table with matching curtain set. _I know I don't come very often, but it pains me so much to see him how he is. It makes me wish there was something I could have done to fix things._

A minute or so later, a man in his mid 20s with honey-colored hair, though currently colored with various paint blobs, walked into the living room. His hair was covering most of his eyes, but that didn't stop him from beaming at Sollux when he saw him. "SOLLUX IT'S YOU!" He ran up to the teen and squeezed him tight. "What are you doing here?"

"Well, I don't exactly live far away Mituna. I just happened to actually have time today to come and visit my favorite big bro." Sollux smiled when he said that, though his heart was pained. About two years ago, Mituna was in a very bad car accident. No one thought he was going to survive. Somehow, he managed to pull through, but not without severe consequences. He was deemed mentally disabled, with no chance of recovery. After some major physical therapy, he was able to walk and talk again, but his mind would never recover. After that, his wife Latula moved in with him and started working four jobs just to keep them alive.

"Oh. Yeah I guess, but you don't visit often, so I forget sometimes. Anyway, now you're here!" Mituna giggled.

The younger brother nodded. "Yep, I am buddy. How are you doing lately? What's been up with you?"

The shaggy-haired man grinned. "Well, I've been going to these really fun art classes with a bunch of other kids. It's super fun, I love it. Mostly, I've been coloring and drawing, cause that's my favorite."

"Hey Tuna. Why don't you go and make another totally rad painting for me?" Latula asked, placing her hand on his head.

"Okay Tula. I love you!" Mituna placed a kiss on his wife's cheek then ran off into the other room.

Sollux sighed. "Any new developments with his condition?" He sat down on the pleather teal couch.

Latula sat next to him. "Unfortunately not much. His response to things he hears is getting better, but it's getting harder and harder to do anything with him." She started tearing up. "I'm really worried. Even with the money I'm making, it's getting difficult to pay for all of his medication. If his condition doesn't improve, the doctors say they're gonna put him in a permanent care facility. I can't give him up to that. I can't lose him." She put her head in her hands and started sobbing.

Used to comforting women in bad situations, Sollux calmly wrapped his arm around Latula, whispering to her that it's going to be okay and things will get better, though he didn't really believe a single word of it. He knew how much she had to give up to take care of his older brother. _It's really sad knowing how much better of a life she could have had if it weren't for the accident. She puts up with so much, but I know how much she loves Mituna._ "Don't worry Latula. We won't let anything happen to Mituna. He isn't going anywhere." _Trying to be comforting to someone when you have a lisp as bad as mine probably doesn't work very well. But… whatever works I guess._

"Yeah. You're right." The woman sniffed, sitting up in her seat. "Thanks Sollux. Well, you should probably start on your homework. I don't want to be the reason you got in trouble on the first week."

"Pfft. Homework. Yeah right." Sollux joked, but then smiled softly. "Thanks Tula. Call me whenever you need me."

The other one smiled. "Will do, and same to you. No more getting into trouble, you hear?"

"Haha. Like that's ever going to happen." They got up and hugged each other. "See ya. Tell Tuna I said bye, and I'll see him soon." Sollux turned around, opened the door, and left, heading towards his apartment.

 **For those of you who may have noticed, yes, there was a Red vs Blue reference (For which I own nothing of) at the beginning of this chapter. Sorry for throwing my nerdiness at you.**

 **Until next time.**

 **~Jane**


	7. Chapter 7

**Hello all! Back again after another week. Finally back on track. To make things up to you, I made this chapter longer than usual. Hope you enjoy!**

 **DISCLAIMER: Own Homestuck, I do not.**

Chapter 7

 _Aradia looked around, seeing a room with one door, but everything made out of rusty metal. There was nothing in the room except for herself. She tried to move around, then quickly noticed her hands were tied to a pole in the corner of the room. She called out. "Hello? Is anyone there? Where am I?" For some reason, her head hurt when she did anything. "What's going on?"_

 _After a few minutes of continuing to call for someone, a bulky man walked in. From what Aradia could discern through the dim light, the man had 5 o'clock shadow, and wore some sort of suit and fedora. "Hey could ya keep it down? Geez. Look, the boss is gonna be here soon, so just keep your little mouth shut until then."_

" _W-where am I? Who are you?" Aradia's voice started shaking, and she started to struggle against the rope that bound her hands._

" _Oh, I don't think you'll be needing to know where you are. As far as who I am?" The man gestured towards himself. "We've met once before. That night… down in the alley."_

 _Aradia's eyes grew big as she remembered this man. "Boxcars. You were trying to kidnap me. Nonononono this isn't happening. HELP! SOMEONE HELP ME!" She struggled more with the rope._

 _Boxcars walked up to her. "Tsk tsk. We can't have you causing a ruckus now can we? This oughta shut you up." He walked forward and pulled out a handkerchief. Aradia continued to scream and struggle until he put his big hand holding the piece of cloth over her mouth and nose. Slowly, her vision started to black out, and she slumped over unconscious._

Aradia jolted up in bed covered in sweat and shaking violently. She glanced around, finding herself in her own bed, in her own bedroom, in her own house. She looked over at the clock, which told her she was scheduled to wake up in five minutes anyway. Putting her head in her hands and trying to slow her breathing, she tried to reassure herself. _It was just a dream. You're just fine Aradia. There's nothing to worry about. Those guys can't get to you as long as Sollux is around with his gang right? Calm down. You're safe._ After a few more minutes, she swung her feet over the side of the bed, stretched, and headed out to the kitchen. She sleepily put on the coffee machine and made herself a bowl of cereal, sitting down at the kitchen table.

A few minutes had passed and her aunt Lynn walked into the kitchen. "Goodmorning. Coffee?" Aradia nodded, and Lynn proceeded to take out two coffee mugs and pour coffee into each of them. She walked over with them and set one down in front of her niece. "Are you okay? You look like you just saw a ghost."

"Heh, that would have actually been better. Ghosts I can handle. I just had a nightmare is all." She put two teaspoons of sugar into her coffee and looked up at her concerned aunt. "It's fine. I'm sure it was just because I ate too much last night or something."

Lynn looked at her niece, cocking her eyebrow, then softening her expression. "Look, I know being here isn't easy. I know you would rather be with your mother and sister, but they have their own problems they have to deal with. They'll be here soon. I just know it. So if you're worried about them, don't be. I'm sure they can handle themselves. They'll come for you." She put a hand on Aradia's shoulder.

Aradia smiled. "Thanks Auntie Lynn." She finished off her breakfast. "Well, I better get dressed and head off to school. Don't wanna be late for the bus." She stood up and walked to her room, getting dressed, then grabbing her school bag. "Bye Auntie Lynn. Don't forget I'll be late coming home today."

"Right. Text me when you're on your way home, alright? Love you." Lynn kissed her niece's head just before she walked out the door.

Aradia got on to the bus when it arrived and got the usual butterflies in her stomach from seeing the boy with messy brown hair and a mischievous smirk. She smiled and went to go sit down in the empty seat next to him. She could smell his soap on him, though it was mixed with another smell, a smell that reminded her of her older sister, though she couldn't quite place in the sea of typical school bus scents. "Hi, Sollux." She tucked her dark brown hair behind her ear.

The older boy smiled. "Hey, Aradia. I hope you had a good sleep yesterday." He sat back in his seat, straightening his shirt collar.

 _Gosh he looks really cute today. Then again, I think he looks cute all the time, in a weird, rugged sort of way._ "Uh... I wish I could say yes." The girl laughed nervously. "I had a terrible nightmare last night. It's fine though. It was just that, a nightmare."

"Oh?" Sollux looked at the girl with a concerned expression. "Are you sure it's fine? Nightmares can be pretty serious. Trust me, I've had my fair share."

"Really, it's fine. It was probably just a late night food thing. That's all." Aradia suggested, though she herself was still not convinced of her own words.

For the rest of the ride, the bus remained loud, though the silence between Sollux and Aradia was almost the most deafening. As soon as the bus stopped, Aradia stood up and rushed to her class, thinking of little else but the nightmare. Actually, for most of the rest of the day, she thought of little else. It was still hard for her to figure out why it haunted her so much. _Yeah, I know it was a traumatic thing, getting almost kidnapped, but I didn't get hurt or actually taken away, so everything's fine right? No, somehow, I feel like this is part of something bigger, like my brain is trying to tell me I've overlooked some big detail that connects this seemingly 'nothing' event to more of my life..._

After what seemed like only a short doze off into her own thoughts, the final school bell had rung. _Wow. That was fast. I hope I didn't miss anything important. Nah, probably not. I'm sure I've learned it already, or I can learn it quickly at home._ Aradia slowly made her way to her English class, which saw the last few students leaving its door until next class. She walked in cautiously, peeking her head in first. "Hello? Ms. Maryam?"

"Ah yes, Aradia, hello." Porrim was hunched over her desk, filing through some papers. "Don't worry, I haven't forgot about our little outing. I'm just finishing up grading some quizzes. Why don't you have a seat until I have finished?" She smiled a smile Aradia could only describe as that warm feeling you get when you arrive at your grandmother's house and you walk inside to the smell of fresh baked cookies and old people smell. Familiarity, maybe that's what Aradia was thinking.

The teen set her things down in a desk, sat in the one next to it, and pulled out some of her homework from today. She looked over the math, and even though it was a new subject, she had little trouble figuring it out, so she finished it in what seemed like no time at all. She put her homework away and looked around the room. It was a typical classroom, in the sense that there were whiteboards and standard issue school desks and cheesy motivational posters like 'The First Three Letters of CAN'T is CAN!' and stuff like that, however, there was something different in the air that made Aradia feel like it was less like a classroom and more like a hangout spot.

After a few minutes, Porrim shuffled her papers together. "Alright, I'm finished." She grabbed her purse, looked up at Aradia, and smiled. "Ready to go?"

"Absolutely!" Aradia jumped up and grabbed her things. The two of them headed out the door and walked out the school, across the street to the local Starbucks. They ordered their drinks, waited for them to be handed to them, then sat down in two rusty metal seats outside.

Porrim leaned back, crossed her leg, and sipped her drink. "So, Aradia, how are you adjusting to Westwood High School? Are you enjoying it?"

"Well, I'm enjoying it as much as anyone would _enjoy_ school I suppose." Aradia took a sip. "The people seem relatively friendly. I haven't encountered many issues with other students or faculty, so I would say I'm doing pretty okay."

"That's good to hear. Have you made any friends? You seemed pretty reserved on the first day in my class, and I didn't know if you had opened up to anyone since then."

The teen pondered this for a minute. "I'm not sure I would call them friends just yet, but I met three boys, Sollux, Equius and Karkat. I met them the Sunday before school started when I was walking around downtown."

Porrim raised her eyebrow at the mention of those names. "Those three huh? They're quite the group. Get into quite some trouble with the law and whatnot. What are you doing hanging around them?"

 _Should I tell her the truth? I mean, she seems really trustworthy, but I don't know her very well._ Aradia sighed, tucking her spiraling locks behind her ear. "That night, when I was downtown, I noticed a man following me. I eventually started running, but one of his buddies caught me in an alleyway. Luckily, those three found me and beat up the guys trying to kidnap me."

"Do you know who the guys were? Did they know you at all?" The teacher sat forward in her chair, clearly interested in the story.

The girl with brown hair nodded. "Sollux told me they were members of the Midnight Crew, some gang that's been wreaking havoc on the city for a few years now." She saw Porrim's expression change to a scowl. "Wow, is there anyone in this city who hasn't heard of them? I've gotten that expression from everyone I've told about this."

The woman gave a short laugh before responding. "Yeah, it's hard to ignore 'em. They moved here about, oh I don't know, four or five years ago. They've been nothing but trouble since. But I don't know how much of their acts are of their own will. They work under a higher power, like I'm assuming most mobs and gangs do."

Now Aradia was interested. "Higher power? Like some sort of mob boss? Do you know who? Has anyone ever seen this guy?"

"Well, no. He doesn't live here." Porrim stopped to take another sip of her beverage. "The Midnight Crew works under several levels of authority, though. They work locally under some lady who everyone knows. Her name's Becca, however she doesn't really call the shots. The head honcho lives in Europe. I can't remember his name, though. But enough about that, let's talk about something else. What about your family? Who do you live with?"

Aradia was dreading this. She hated having to explain her family 'situation'. "Well, I live with my aunt here. She's my mom's younger sister, but only by a few years. They're so similar I sometimes forget she's actually my aunt." She laughed nervously, sipping her drink.

"Oh? And what about your mother? I don't mean to be rude, but why don't you live with her?"

The teen played with her curls, avoiding eye contact. "Uh.. I lived with my mom in Europe for most of my life. I moved to England when I was very small. We moved because my parents had gotten a divorce, and my dad took my older sister with him to Japan, while my mom took me to England. We kept in contact with my sister all those years, though it was hard, since she speaks Japanese as her first language, but we managed. When she turned 18 she left Japan and my father to live with us in England. About four months after that, my mom started dating this guy. He was really nice at first, but soon became really controlling. He was in some bad business and probably in trouble with the law. Eventually, my sister and mother were like his slaves, being abused when they didn't do what he asked. We couldn't escape, because he threatened to kill us if we left and told anyone what was going on." She started tearing up, and Porrim moved her seat over and gave her a hug. "My mom didn't want me to live the life she and my sister were living, so she sent me here, with a promise to escape and come get me before I graduate high school."

Porrim wiped the tears from her student's face. "That's terrible. I am so sorry Aradia, I had no idea. Do you know the name of the guy who your mom was with?"

Aradia sniffed. "Yeah. Well, not exactly. He refused to tell us his real name, for what I assume was fear we would spread it around and the law would find him. He was always referred to as Lord English by his 'associates' or whatever he called them." She looked at her teacher, whose face had gone very pale. "What? What's wrong?"

"That name. Oh God that name. I know that name." Porrim looked at the teen. "Honey, that's the name of the guy who leads the Midnight Crew. He's one of the biggest Mafia Bosses and one of the most wanted men in the world."

 **That's all for now folks. Let me know what you thought by favoriting, following, and reviewing this story. I would love to hear from you!**

 **~Jane**


	8. Chapter 8

**Hi everyone! A few things to discuss before we move on with the story.**

 **First, I would like to apologize for breaking my 'every other week' schedule. I was on vacation and didn't have time to plan for having chapters uploaded during my absence. So, to make up for that, this chapter will be longer than usual.**

 **Secondly, I would like to thank all of you who have been commenting on this story. I love reading all the comments you leave and suggestions you have. Thank you to 13violets, Darkrai's Daughter, Sylica Marvell, tooObsessive, Wendydiaries, and Emiko-San for leaving your kind words for me. I truly appreciate all the comments I receive.**

 **On the topic of suggestions, I had many suggestions for more ships and introduction of more characters…**

 **All in good time my friends, but you may not have to wait as long as you may think.**

 **With that, on with the story!**

Chapter 8

 _Alright. I've got a little bit of homework that I probably should do… naw I'll do it during off period or something._ Sollux thought to himself as he entered his apartment. "Hey KK, I'm back!" He walked to the hallway outside of his roommate's door and saw it closed. He heard a conversation between two people, though he could not make anything out. Suddenly, he heard Karkat laugh,which never happened. With that, there was only one person Sollux knew could be in there. He smirked. "Yo KK. Just because your door is closed doesn't mean the conversation you put on speakerphone between you and your lover is private."

"Piss off Sollux!" He heard Karkat shout through the door. "I'm just talking with Dave, alright?"

"I'm aware. Why do you think I said what I did? It's alright Karkat, I won't pester ya. Say hi to the BF for me." Sollux laughed when he heard his roommate give a frustrated shout.

Content with himself, having given Karkat his daily dose of trouble, Sollux walked off to his own room. It was simple, with a single bed, messy blue and red sheets, a desk with almost nothing on it but his laptop that he had spent months saving up to buy when he had moved into this apartment, and his closet, which had his clothes and gang records stashed away inside. He took his shoes off and flopped on the bed. He scrolled mindlessly through his phone for who knows how long when suddenly, the doorbell rang.

"I'll get it!" Sollux called. He slowly got off of his bed and walked to open the door. _I hope KK didn't order pizza again. He knows we don't exactly roll in money. I'll have to tell him to-_ "Aradia?"

The girl looked up at him, curls falling on either side of her face when she did. Sollux could tell she had been crying. "Hi Sollux. I'm sorry if this is a bad time. This is probably really awkward, me just showing up like this, but I knew this was your apartment complex, so I just asked which apartment was yours. I can leave if you need."

"N-no that's not necessary. I was just surprised is all. Come in." He moved to the side and let Aradia pass him, then close the door. "Are you okay? You look like you've seen a ghost."

Aradia shifted nervously. "Actually that would have been ideal, but no. Much worse. Do you have somewhere private we can talk?"

 _Wow this must be bad. She seems really on edge_. "Of course. We can talk in my room." He took her hand and led her into his bedroom, shutting the door behind him. They both sat on his bed. "What's wrong? I don't remember the last time I saw anyone this shaken up."

"What do you know about the Midnight Crew? Anything about who the leaders are?" Aradia looked him in the eyes, pleading for information.

The boy thought for a second. "Well, that's a bit of a complicated answer. See, there are levels of leadership. The guys that attacked you that night, those guys are the lowest level, called Peons. They do all the dirty work for the entire system in each city they reside in. The person who those guys work for is sort of like the 'Region Boss' if you will. Everyone knows her as Snowman."

The girl giggled. "Sorry, but Snowman? That seems like a peculiar name for a woman. Why is that her name?"

"Well, for one, you aren't going to use your real name if you're a criminal, because obviously then the law could catch you. Secondly, she got the name Snowman because she's cold-hearted. Ruthless towards her victims. Thirdly, hush while I'm telling a story." Sollux smirked for a second before going serious again. "Now, Snowman runs all the gangs in her region, which consists of the states Texas, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Arkansas, and Louisiana. In countries that don't have states, they divide the regions by provinces, divisions, or whatever else that country divides their land with. In the US, there are ten Region Bosses, one for every five states. Every Region Boss controls the peons in each of those states' cities." He paused, looking at Aradia's seemingly lost expression. "Are you following any of this?"

Aradia looked at him. "Yeah. It's just a lot to process, but I think I understand it so far. What's after the Region Boss?" She shifted to sit on his bed with her legs crossed.

Sollux gave a soft half smile. "Okay, so the Region Bosses all report to the Country Boss. That Country Boss is in charge of keeping their designated country under the Crew's control. They don't play a huge part in anything. Only when a region is starting to get out of control. Then they intervene and usually 'reassign' leadership." Sollux put air quotes around reassign, hoping Aradia would understand what that meant. By the grim look on her face, she got the gist. "The US's Country Boss is called Jack Noir. He lives up in New York, or so last I was told. He, along with all the other Country Bosses, report to the head honcho, the Mafia Leader. This guy is the one who runs the whole show. He runs all the other levels of the Crew as necessary, gains the most money out of all their operations, and doesn't tend to care if his subordinates come back dead or alive, because to him, everyone is replaceable. He would rather someone be dead than caught, for fear they give away important information. There's only one Mafia Leader of the Midnight Crew. His name is-"

"Lord English." Aradia looked at Sollux, who had been taken aback by her response. "That's right isn't it? Lord English runs the Midnight Crew. He lives in Europe, all over the place so he doesn't get caught."

The boy looked at her dumbfounded for another minute before realizing he should respond. "Y-Yeah. Lord English is right. But how did you know? There are only a few people who actually know his name, and even fewer who have actually seen him in the flesh. Only ones high in leadership in the Crew know of him, since the lower levels will never speak with him anyway."

The girl tucked some of her loose curls behind her ear and took a shaky breath. "I know… because he is keeping my mom and sister hostage in Europe. He's the reason I'm here, because my mom wanted to protect me from him. We didn't know what he did or how dangerous he really was, just that he was a bad guy wanted by the local authorities or something. I didn't realize who he was until Ms. Maryam told me just now. That's why I came to you, because I know you fight off the Midnight Crew, so I thought you would know something." A tear or two escaped from her eyes.

Seeing this, Sollux wiped away her tears and pulled her into a hug. "So those guys that day weren't catching you by chance… they were hunting you. But why? Why are your mom and sister being held by English?"

"I don't totally know. He seemed so nice at first, when he started going out with my mom. I don't know what was said, but he suddenly changed, controlling my mom and sister like slaves. I was too young for him to do anything with I guess. I want to help them, I just don't know how. I feel so useless." Aradia started to sob, putting her hands over her eyes.

Sollux thought for a moment, unsure of what to do. _This is huge. We have recent information on him now. She could be our inside. No, that's terrible. I can't make a sweet innocent girl do something like that. Not after all she's been through. I don't know if we have much of a choice though…_ "Hey, Aradia. Look at me." She looked at him, and he cupped her face in his hands. "Lord English needs to be taken down. He has for some time now. I despise everything he does, so I want to be the one to do it. I want to help you get your mom and sister back. But, to do that I'm going to need your help. I know it's a lot to ask, but would you mind helping out the Alternians by giving us all information about Lord English?"

"I'll do it." Aradia said without hesitation.

"Before you do really agree to this, you have to realize what you're getting yourself in to. This is not light work. What you're agreeing to is aiding a gang to attempt to take down one of the most well known and dangerous mafias in the world. This could get you into serious trouble." The boy slid his hands to rest them on Aradia's shoulders. "Are you absolutely sure you are okay with this?"

The girl took a deep breath and nodded her head. "Completely. Anything to get my family back."

Sollux adjusted his glasses and nodded slowly. "Okay. Then, starting now, I am going to protect you. I don't want anything or anyone to hurt you. If that means protecting you like a bodyguard, I will do it."

"Sollux…" Aradia went soft, relaxing her body from its previously tense position. She suddenly threw her arms around him. "Thank you." She whispered.

After a few seconds, they let go and Sollux sighed. "Well, since I hate leaving things on such a depressing note, why don't we talk about something else. Anything you want to talk about?"

The girl sat more upright. "Yeah actually. I have a question. You wear those 3D glasses all the time. Why?"

The boy's face started to turn red. "Oh geez. I hate talking about this. Well, I guess I can't avoid it forever. I wear these to hide my eyes."

"Well no duh." Aradia giggled. "But _why_ do you hide your eyes?"

"I was born with this thing called Heterochromia. Most people think it's cute on dogs and stuff, but I got teased for it all the time. My parents comforted me through the teasing, but when I was… living on my own… a few years back, I knew I wanted a change. So, I got these glasses to hide my eyes." He hated talking about his parents, or his condition, but he felt like he could trust Aradia. As much as when he told Karkat this same story.

Slowly, Aradia reached for his glasses, to which he automatically flinched. "Please?" She pleaded. Again, she went to go take off his glasses, and Sollux decided not to fight it this time. He closed his eyes as she took them off, then slowly opened them. Her eyes were filled with awe, and she looked even more beautiful to him than she had with his glasses on. "They're…"

"Weird? Ugly? Freaky?" Sollux listed all the common names he had been called because of his eyes. He tried to think of more, but was suddenly caught off guard by Aradia's lips being placed on his cheek, cautiously and sweetly and softly all at once.

She pulled away. "Beautiful. Unique. Amazing. That's more what I was going for." She smiled, and suddenly to Sollux, she looked like some sort of Greek Goddess. Radiant and beautiful. Perfect. He smiled back, showing off his horribly crooked teeth, but he didn't care.

"Thank you. You know, now that I think about it, if I'm going to be your protector, I suppose I need a way to contact you, don't I?" Sollux leaned back slightly.

Aradia chuckled. "Sollux Captor, are you asking me for my number?"

"Hmm," the boy voiced. "I suppose I am. So how about it Megido? Would you mind if I had your phone number?"

The girl pulled her long hair to one shoulder and smiled. "I would not mind one bit."

 **See? Good things come to those who wait. I hope this chapter sufficed for an apology of lateness. If you enjoyed this, or want to tell me what to add, please feel free to let me know by liking and/or following this story, or leave a comment. I will be sure to read them. :)**

 **Until next time.**

 **~Jane**


	9. Chapter 9

**Hello my lovelies! Back on our normal schedule.**

 **By this point in the story, the mandatory-character-background-story setup is pretty much finished, so now some serious progress should be made.**

 **I would also like to take a minute to point out that anyone who has suggestions for this story as far as what you want to see happen is more than welcome to message the account. I love hearing new ideas.**

 **On with this thrilling tale.**

 **DISCLAIMER: I don't own this stuff (which, for those of you who have been living under a rock, it's over now, so…. Happy 4/13? It was a good 7 years)**

Chapter 9

"No, Auntie Lynn, I promise I will be fine." Aradia assured her caretaker for the millionth time over breakfast.

The woman sighed. "I want to believe you, but this gang stuff is very dangerous. You could get seriously hurt. I am supposed to protect you until your mom arrives." Lynn looked at her niece's face, which was filled with determination. "But… I suppose I can't stop you can I? You were always a stubborn girl. Once you've made up your mind, that's it. Just talk to me if you ever are in trouble, okay?"

The girl smiled. "Don't worry, Auntie. I will. Besides, I have a protector, remember? Sollux will look out for me. However, I can take care of myself as well." She got up from the breakfast table, grabbed her empty plate, and kissed her aunt on the head. "Well, I should head off to school. The bus is probably almost here. I love you!" Aradia grabbed her backpack and walked out the door to the bus stop.

* * *

The rest of the week was pretty much the same for Aradia. The teachers giving their standard lectures, high schoolers being rowdy, normal conversations with her aunt, so on and so forth. Finally, the bell for Friday afternoon rang, and Aradia was relieved. _It's been such a long week. It will be so nice to have a relaxing weekend after all that happened this week._ The brunette grabbed her bag from the floor, swung it over her shoulder, and headed for the back of the school. She walked through the halls, which were filled with kids running off to enjoy their weekend, hanging out in groups to avoid going home, or just in couples, flirting with each other or making out. _Ugh. So gross. I wish people wouldn't always do that_. She finally made it to the doors that lead out to the buses when her arm was grabbed. She instinctively turned around and flung her fist in the general direction of the other person, but her hand was stopped by them. She slowly looked up, first seeing the mismatched shoes, the loose jeans and t-shirt, the different colored glasses, and finally the chocolate brown hair. Aradia sighed. "Sollux. Thank God it's you. Don't scare me like that."

"Oh. Geez, I'm sorry Aradia. I wasn't thinking." Sollux apologized while scratching the back of his head. "Hey, I wanted to ask you something. Are you doing anything right now?"

"Not at this moment, or for the rest of the evening." The girl responded. "Why, did you need something?"

The boy nodded. "Yeah, I was actually hoping you could come with me, Equius, and Karkat tonight to meet the rest of the group. Not for anything serious, just so you can meet more of the gang and stuff."

The brunette thought about this for a moment. _I know I said I would help him out, and I have no problem with it, but I know Auntie Lynn also said not to get involved anymore._ "Uh… sure. That will be fine. Let me just call my aunt to let her know I'm going to be home a little late." She pulled out her maroon-cased phone and opened her contacts, clicking on her aunt's name. The phone only rang two times before someone answered. "Hey Auntie Lynn."

"Hi Kiddo. How was school?" The lady asked on the other end of the line.

"Fine." Aradia responded. "Is it okay if I'm home a little late? I just want to hang out with a couple friends for a bit."

A sigh was heard from the other caller. "That's fine. Just be careful. I've heard gang activity is getting worse lately, and I don't want you to get into a bad situation again. As long as you stay with your friends the whole time, and text me as soon as you are heading home, alright?"

Aradia smiled and gave Sollux a thumbs up. "Of course. I'll be alright. Thank you Auntie Lynn. I love you. See you later!"

"I love you too, Aradia. Bye." lynn responded before hanging up the phone.

"You good to go?" The boy asked, motioning to the door.

The girl nodded. "Yep I'm good."

"Cool. We have to go to the front of the school, 'cause EQ is gonna drive us." Sollux said as they started to walk to the other entrance. "You're pretty good lying on your feet. Not that it's a good quality to have, but it's certainly useful. I didn't think a sweet girl like you could do something like that."

Aradia chuckled. "Yeah, well living with…" She paused, not wanting to say his name. "Living with, _that guy_ for a few years, you learn to lie about where you go and what you do. And besides, it wasn't lying _per se_ , it was just stretching the truth. I am going to hang out with friends, I just didn't say which friends or where." She shrugged.

"This is very true." Sollux agreed. "Ah, there's EQ and KK. Shall we go?" He held out his arm, to which Aradia smiled and linked her arm with his. The two walked to the car and got in, talking with the other two boys about their day.

* * *

 _Wow, this is a long ride. I didn't realize how far they travelled just to be apart of this gang._ Aradia thought to herself as she watched the city roll by. This was the first time she had actually looked at the city since the first night she was here. She was amazed by all the tall buildings, many of them extremely industrial-looking, while still managing to be beautiful in their own way. Between blocks of skyscrapers were more open areas, some occupied by theaters or art studios, others just open fields or parks. _Houston is so beautiful. I wish I could actually walk around the city and explore all this architecture. Maybe I'll convince Sollux to take me one day._ She smiled at the thought of her protector. It was silly, how she started behaving like a little school girl whenever she thought of him, but she couldn't help it. He had saved her life, after all. _It also helps that he's really sweet, charming, handsome, funny… Oh geez I'm rambling again aren't I?_ Her thoughts ceased as soon as the car pulled up to a giant, multi-story building.

"We're here." Sollux told Aradia as he started to unbuckle his seat belt.

"But…" Aradia stopped. "This place. I've read about it. It's been abandoned for at least five years. It use to be a shipping warehouse, right? You guys really meet here?"

Seeing the other two guys standing silently, Sollux jumped in. "It's been abandoned as a warehouse, yes, but no one bothers to come this far South in the city, so the Alternians decided to use it as their home base." He motioned for the other three to follow him into the building. Equius and Karkat willingly followed, but Aradia was hesitant. The boy looked behind him, gave the girl a soft smile, and took her hand. "It's fine. We're all friendly, I promise. What did I tell you the other day? I'm your protector. You'll be okay."

Aradia nodded, and the two of them walked inside. Immediately, she was amazed. The facility was sure put to good use after it was abandoned. From what Arada could see, there were several rooms being used as bedrooms, some more being used as offices or meeting rooms, a big space that seemed to function as a hang out space, and the main floor was filled with tons of gym equipment, from punching bags to weights to even a running track. Most of these areas were filled with different people who looked like they were a variety of ages. She gasped. "This is incredible. The architecture for such an old building is fantastic!"

"Yeah, it took a lot of time and scrounging of money, but we managed to make it decent." Sollux explained. "See, most people come from the same background, or of the similar type. This whole building is a safe haven for the whole gang. Anyone can come here to hang out, work out, or, for those whose families have abandoned them, they can live here. Pretty neat, huh?"

The brunette was speechless. "Neat? This is amazing! How many people are here?"

The boy considered this for a second. "Well, the gang is quite a revolving door, but on average, we have about 250-300 members, but that includes partial and honorary members. You'll meet some of them later I'm sure."

"Wow. That's amazing!" Aradia remarked, still admiring the gigantic structure.

"Mhm." Sollux said, looking quite chuffed with himself. "Let me call everyone that's here and I'll introduce you. You don't have to talk about anything right now, I just want the gang to know you're in this with us." He cupped his hands around his mouth. "Hey everyone! Come down to the main floor. I've got something important!"

Slowly, everyone came down from all areas of the building and crowded around Sollux, who had taken to standing on a table nearby. Once they were all gathered, Aradia looked up at Sollux, who helped her get up onto the table. "Okay. So, as you all may know, the Midnight Crew has been a lot more active lately. They've been getting more violent and more cunning with their actions. Luckily, we should now be able to get the upper hand on them. We have some excellent inside intel from this amazing girl right here." He gestured toward the brunette, who, not knowing what to do, just gave a small smile and wave. "Her name is Aradia Megido. She has some knowledge about the head honcho of the Crew's operation. You will treat her with the utmost respect, as she is now our most vital source of information, as well as an honorary member of our gang. Is that understood?" The crowd seemed to murmur in a positive response.

 _Wow. He really seems to command attention from people. It's kinda hot._ Aradia thought to herself.

"Okay. That's all for now. You can all go back to your previous activities." Sollux waved his hands in the general direction of the equipment behind the crowd.

Everyone began to disperse, and Sollux got off the table, then proceeded to help Aradia off. Equius and Karkat were also standing with them, as well as another short girl who couldn't have been more than 13 or 14 years old. She had a round face, but her body was fairly lean, and she had short, spiky, dyed bright red hair.

Clearly getting the vibe that she was curious about their sudden new friend, Sollux piped up. "Ah, Aradia. This is Nepeta." He motioned to the small girl. "She is one of those gang members that aren't in it because they come from a rough background. In fact, Equius and Nepeta have been friends for the longest time. I don't remember the last time I didn't see them hanging out. She isn't technically a member of the gang, only because Equius won't let her, but she has a black belt in Karate and Tae Kwon Do, so she is an excellent fighter."

The spunky girl beamed at Aradia and waved. "It's so nice to meet you!" Her voice was quite shrill, and there were traces of a romanian-esque accent. "I've heard so much about you already, and I can't wait to get to know you better."

"Yeah, I hope I can too." Aradia responded.

The five of them held more light-hearted conversation for the next few minutes before Aradia realized how late it had gotten. "Oh gosh. I should probably start heading home. I don't want Auntie Lynn to worry. Equius, can you drive me back?"

The tall boy nodded. "Uh-huh. We should probably all go back. Sollux, Karkat, are you coming?"

The other ones nodded, said their goodbyes, and they all headed to the car for the long ride home.

 **Well I hope that was sufficient. I will see you all in a couple weeks. Please leave comments and suggestions if you have any.**

 **See you soon!**

 **~Jane**


	10. Chapter 10

**Hello! I don't exactly have much to say as an introduction, so let's just dive right in, shall we?**

 **DISCLAIMER: I don't own it, and rightly so. Homestuck would be even more of a disaster if I did…**

Chapter 10

 _More reports are coming in that the infamous Midnight Crew is on the rise. More and more people have been getting kidnapped in the past weeks, only to turn up dead a few days later. Their bodies are often found in the ditches, covered in bruises and cuts. The authorities aren't sure where the Crew takes them or what happens to them when they are kidnapped, but-_

Sollux interrupted the newscaster when he turned off the television in his apartment that he and Karkat were watching. _It's disgusting how often these reports are surfacing lately. I obviously have to keep a closer eye on Aradia now. She's probably going to be a prime target once the Crew finds out how much she knows about English…_

It had been a few weeks since Sollux offered to protect Aradia from the Midnight Crew in exchange of her invaluable information about their Mafia Leader, Lord English. Since then, Sollux has done everything in her best interest. He was keeping out of trouble with the authorities and other local gangs just so he would be ready to look out for her whenever necessary. They would often hang out after school and on weekends, and the two had become increasingly close. Karkat seemed to be the only one to really take note of this.

"Dude, I know what you're thinking." Karkat said. "You're thinking now that you've heard another news report about the Crew, you need to call Aradia again and make sure she's okay. Am I right?"

Sollux rolled his eyes. "No, I wasn't. I may be her protector, but that doesn't make me her babysitter. I trust her. I'm sure her or someone she knows would contact me if something was wrong."

The redhead smirked. "Oh, I know you trust her. I also know you're totally head over heels in love with her."

The older boy's eyes grew wide and his face went red. "Wh-what? No that's not it." He laughed. "You're crazy! Where did you get the impression that I like Aradia that way?" He questioned.

"It's not that hard to tell. You constantly fawn over and think about her. It's pretty obvious to everyone but you two apparently." Karkat leaned back in his chair, clearly pleased with himself.

Sollux tried to formulate a response to that. "That's not necessarily true. I just want to protect her. Just like you want to protect Dave." He paused for a second, smirking. "Oh wait. That _is_ because you're in love with him."

The other boy's face turned as red as his hair. "N-no! I'm not! We've been friends for a really long time. I'm just really close to him and-"

"You want to protect him." Sollux finished. "Uh-huh. I get it. Well, you don't accuse me of love and I won't accuse you."

Their conversation was bound to continue, but was interrupted by a sharp knock on the door. Sollux stood up.

"You expecting someone?" Karkat asked, getting up from his place on the couch.

The taller boy cleared his throat. "Actually, yes. Aradia, in fact."

The smaller of the two chuckled. "Lovesick puppy." He muttered under his breath before exiting the room.

Sollux heard the comment, but decided to deal with it later. He opened the door, seeing the short girl with her head down, loose curls hanging freely over her face. "Hey Aradia. Wanna come in?" _She looks nice today. Well, she usually looks nice, but… ah I'll stop this right now before it goes anywhere._

The girl looked up and smile, her face lighting up. "Hi Sollux. Sure, thanks." She walked in, automatically making her way to Sollux's room, where they always hung out.

The boy closed the door and made his way to the same room, closing that door behind him. "How have you been?"

"Fine, I suppose. I debated writing to my mom and sister, but I'm so worried it will get intercepted by the Crew, or that English will find it. I just can't risk it." Aradia looked sad when she mentioned her family.

The boy sat across from her, sitting in a chair while she was on the edge of the bed. "I know. It sucks, but we will figure it all out. Before you know it, you'll have them both back. Anyway, I was wondering if you wanted to come to the Warehouse tonight. We are having our monthly meeting, and I was thinking you could start sharing some English information, if you're comfortable with it."

The girl nodded. "Yeah that's fine. I told my aunt I would be out for a few hours, so she doesn't expect me back until 9:30 or 10 tonight. When is your meeting?"

 _Wow. It's so cool how willing she is to give information._ Sollux was impressed. "Uh, at about 7. Equius is coming to pick us up around 6, so we will probably head down in about 10 minutes."

"Okay." The girl fiddled with her hair, then turned her attention back to Sollux. "I don't mean to sound rude, but you're old enough to have a licence, don't you drive yourself anywhere?"

"Ah. Well that, Aradia," Sollux leaned back in his chair, "Is because I'm all but broke. See, KK and I don't exactly live in the lap of luxury, but we get by okay. We can't afford a car to drive around in. Equius, on the other hand," he gestured vaguely towards the door, towards what would be the assumed direction of his friend's condo complex, "EQ is loaded. Well, his parents are. And he gets a lot of what he wants. He has his own place and a nice car, and that's all he really asks for." The boy looked at the girl's confused expression. Anticipating her next question, he continued. "He is one of those gang members I was telling you about that's in it more for the justice. His older brother, Horrus, was taken by the Midnight Crew years ago. The difference with this case is that his body was never found, so no one knows what happened to him, or if he's even alive. EQ still holds out hope that his brother _is_ alive somewhere, so he is a part of the gang in hopes of being reunited with him."

The girl looked down, clearly sad to hear this story. "That's terrible. I wouldn't know what to do if I was in that situation."

"Yeah." Sollux wasn't sure really how to respond. "But, getting back to the driving thing." His tone changed to slightly more upbeat. "I'm not completely tied to EQ. I do have a motorcycle licence, and a beat-up old Harley-Davidson 883. It's not fancy or anything, but it runs, so it's useful if I have to go somewhere alone or with Karkat. Maybe I can take you on it sometime."

Aradia's eyes glistened. "That sounds like fun!"

The boy looked at his phone clock. "Well, we should probably head downstairs. EQ is probably gonna get here soon." He stood up, leading Aradia to the door. He looked behind him. "Hey KK! Come on, we've gotta go to the Warehouse!"

The short redheaded boy walked out of his room, grumbling as usual. "I don't see why we all have to be there. Nothing exciting ever really happens anyway."

"Ah, but this one is important." Sollux responded. "See, Aradia here is going to spill some information on Lord English to the gang, so that we might have a better chance of taking down the Crew."

Karkat scoffed, but regardless followed the two older teens out the door and down to Equius' car.

* * *

The ride there was very mundane as usual, but Sollux couldn't contain his excitement. _I can't wait to see what the gang does with this newfound information. I know they already like Aradia, but I am sure the gang will want to protect her even more now that they know all this stuff._ The car pulled up to the Warehouse, and the four walked in, where most of the Alternians were already gathered. Sollux looked at the nearest clock, which read almost 7, so he decided to go ahead and begin the meeting. He stood up on a table, helping up Aradia. "Alright everyone. Let's get this meeting started." The crowd noise began to die down. "As you are all aware of by now, Aradia knows a lot of good information on the Midnight Crew's Mafia Leader, Lord English. Tonight, she will be sharing some of this information. Treat her with the same respect as you would to me or Karkat, alright?" He looked at Aradia, smiling. "Take it away." He hopped off of the table, standing in the front row of the crowd.

"Uh, hi guys." Aradia began shyly, waving her hand. "I'll just start from the beginning I suppose. You may be wondering how I know Lord English so well. That is because he started to date my mom a couple years back, though I didn't really know who he was at the time."

Although he had heard this story many times before, Sollux listened with great intent and concentration. He looked around the crowd to see most people in a similar fashion, drinking up all the information Aradia was telling. _This is good. They really seem to be latching on to this._

As Aradia reached the halfway point in her story, an alarm started to blare, and red lights started to flash. With little hesitation, Sollux jumped back up on the table. "Alright everyone, you know what to do. I'm sure this is nothing, but everyone, find your battle partner and get to your stations immediately!"

Everyone began running off in various directions. Equius and Nepeta found each other and headed for rooms closest to the front doors. Sollux looked at Karkat and simply nodded, then watched him run to the main entrance. He then turned his attention to Aradia, who looked frightened and confused. "Come with me. I'm going to take you somewhere safe." He grabbed her hand and lead her to the safe room on the underground level of the building. There, many young children and injured members sitting there quietly. "No matter what happens, stay here. As soon as this is all over, I will come and find you."

"Sollux, what's going on?" Aradia's voice was shaking.

The boy sighed. "No time to explain. I promise I will sometime later, okay?" He drew her into a tight hug and kissed her on the forehead. "Stay safe, and stay with this group no matter what. You'll be fine. I promise." He turned around and left without waiting for a response.

Sollux made his way to the front entrance, where his battle partner Karkat was standing. The sirens were shut off. "Do you really think this is nothing?" The younger one asked.

"I don't know. I guess we're about to find out." Sollux responded. The two motioned to the elite fighters behind them to stay inside, just out of sight. The redhead and brunette walked out, not prepared for what they saw.

Just outside of the Warehouse entrance stood the four that they came in contact with frequently, Boxcars, Slick, Droog, and Deuce. However, they were now accompanied with another person, a female. She wore high heels and a long trench coat, which was opened to reveal a low cut thigh-length black dress. Her hair was cut in a short bob, the color as black as the night. She was smoking a cigarette and pointing a pistol at Sollux.

"This is Alternian territory. You have no business here. Identify yourself immediately." Sollux called out.

The woman piped up, her voice smooth and sensual. "Oh, you don't know who I am? Well, I guess word doesn't travel as fast as it use to. I am Snowman. Perhaps you've heard of my name before?"

The brunette knew that name all too well. She was one of the Region Bosses of the Midnight Crew. She controlled most of the South. "What do you want, Snowman?"

"Am I correct to assume that you are the leader of the Alternians?" She took a long drag of her cigarette, gun still aimed at the boy.

Karkat looked at Sollux, shaking his head slightly. Sollux drew in a breath. "Yes, I am he. What business do you have on Alternian property?"

Snowman chuckled. "Well, actually, this is officially Midnight Crew terf, but I'll let that slide for now. I have a demand. I need you to back off of the Midnight Crew. You're little gang is causing a lot of issues for us lately, and we really don't need that. I would love to talk more in detail about the terms of this back down alone with you for a little if you don't mind." She gave Sollux a wicked smile.

Without hesitation, Sollux shook his head. "Absolutely not. I don't go anywhere with the Midnight Crew, especially alone. Go find another gang to pester."

The woman tsked. "Oh, what a pity." She looked behind her at the four brutes. "Boys, dispose of them"

Boxcars laughed. "Certainly my lady." He readied his gun.

Seeing that this was going to end badly, Sollux turned around immediately, running inside, Karkat not far behind. He flung open the doors, and looked at the Elite fighters consisting of about a dozen people. "Ready yourselves. The Crew is outside, and it doesn't look like they want to play nice."

Knowing what that meant, they readied what weapons they had and charged out to battle.

 **Well, you guys got lucky. I wasn't planning on making such a long chapter. Oh well. It was worth it.**

 **Please feel free to comment or PM me if you have any questions on this or other chapters, because I know some stuff can get pretty confusing XD**

 **Other than that, I'll see you all in a couple weeks!**

 **~Jane**


	11. Chapter 11

**Sorry to leave you hanging in that intense moment last chapter haha. Actually, I like a good cliffhanger, so maybe I don't feel totally bad about it.**

 **DISCLAIMER: I don't own this comic that's apparently called Homestuck and is supposedly owned by Andrew Hussie. Idk something like that.**

Chapter 11

 _It's so dark in here. Only a few flashlights and candles are lit. I suppose it's better than leaving these people out where they are vulnerable._ Aradia surveyed the basement full of small children and injured gang members with a sense of unease. People who seemed to act as medics continued to tend to the ones in poor condition. Aradia spotted a girl about her age in red jeans and a simple black shirt who was tending to someone's arm. Aradia walked over to the girl, kneeling down next to her. "Hi. Um, I know some basic first aid. Do you need any help?"

The taller girl shifted back her short black hair and looked up. "Hello. Uh, no I am actually just finishing up my last one. Thanks though." She packed up her box then turned back to the brunette. "What are you in for?"

The question took Aradia by surprise. "Huh? Oh, no I'm not-" She stammered.

The other girl laughed. "I didn't mean it like that. So, not part of this usual madness? Same here. I'm just a medic. My sis doesn't allow me to be a part of the gang, so I sneak out about once a week to tend to the injured. The name's Kanaya." She stuck her hand out.

Aradia took the hand offered and shook it. "My name is Aradia. I have to ask, is this a usual thing? Do these alarms often go off?"

"No. I mean, not really. It only happens about twice a year. But those are usually just cops coming to try and snuff us out. However, this one seems different somehow. I can't explain it, but-" Kanaya stopped, seeing Aradia's face go pale. "Um… It's probably nothing. Let's change the subject. Sollux was the one to bring you here right? That's unusual."

The brunette gave a questioning look. "He doesn't bring many people into the gang?"

"Well, he isn't really the talkative type." Kanaya answered. "He keeps to himself, minus Karkat and Equius. He wasn't always this way though. I've known him since we were little. Back then, he was so full of life, so bright. He would want to be friends with so many people. It was sort of overbearing sometimes." She chuckled.

The other girl listened intently. "So, what changed? Was it just a 'I grew up so I'm going to be rebellious' type of thing?"

"Not exactly." The black-haired girl responded. "He really didn't change until he had to live on his own. After his parents…" she stopped. "This isn't really my story to tell."

Aradia's expression faded. "I understand. Hey, thanks for talking with me. I don't exactly make many-"

Her sentence was cut off by the faint sound of gunfire. Aradia's eyes widened. "Wh-what was that?"

"Gunfire." Kanaya said plainly. "That can't be good." She cupped her hands around her mouth. "Nobody panic. Everyone stay down here. You're safe as you are now. Just please try to remain quiet." A small child started to cry. "I'd better go comfort them. I'll see you later Aradia." She got up and walked towards the crying.

The bangs seemed to get louder, and eventually they pounded continuously in Aradia's mind. _This isn't good. I know Sollux is out there. I have to make sure he's okay. I can't just leave him out there to die!_ She quietly stood up and made her way to the doors leading out of the basement, being careful to make sure no one spots her. She cracked open the door, just enough for her to slip out. She hid behind the nearest pillar, careful not to be seen by anyone. She peered out behind the structure, taking in the scene as it unfolded.

The front door was completely open. There were maybe a dozen people with a variety of weapons charging out to a group of five. Four of those, presumably men, holding machine guns. The dozen were attempting to get close to the heavily armed men, but most either too scared or getting hit with bullets. Aradia's stomach churned. _People actually getting hurt. All for what?_

The fifth member of the enemy was attempting to escape. Aradia saw a skinny boy running after the one escaping. She saw a flash of red and blue glasses. _Sollux._ Aradia snuck up closer, only a few feet from the main entrance now. Suddenly, the person escaping pulled out a handgun and trained it on Sollux. Aradia widened her eyes. _No. This isn't happening. I have to do something._

Without any thought, the brunette charged out, running towards her protector. "Sollux no!" She screamed. The one escaping, Aradia could now see it was a woman, turned towards her. Aradia looked at her, then at Sollux, eyes stricken with fear.

"What are you doing? Run Aradia! Get out of here!" Sollux yelled at her.

Snowman fired a shot in Aradia's direction. She fell to the ground almost instantaneously and yelled out of shock.

By then, most of the gunshots in the background ceased. "Retreat! We are too outnumbered. My lady Snowman. We must leave." Slick motioned and ran towards the black vehicle waiting for them.

Snowman looked behind her, straight at Sollux. Aradia held her breath. _Don't do anything. Please, just leave._ She breathed a sigh of relief when she saw the woman walk into the vehicle.

"Aradia!" Sollux ran towards her. "What do you think you're doing?"

She couldn't place it, but something felt weird about her, like her arm was tingling. "Sollux." She whispered. "Oh Sollux you're alright. I was so worried."

"Don't. Now is not the time. Do you realize you've been shot? We have to get you to a medic. Come here." Sollux picked her up bridal style and began to run inside.

It was only then that Aradia looked down and saw her upper arm bleeding profusely. She started to see spots in her vision. "Oh. It seems I have been."

"Medic! Come now. The coast is clear, but we have one shot!" Sollux yelled, putting Aradia down on the nearest bed.

Kanaya came running out with her supply kit. Aradia couldn't make much out anymore, everything was starting to fade out. She could only make out bits and pieces of conversation.

"... bad is it?" A girl's voice asked.

"Pretty bad. Oh god. Just do something. Please." Sollux's voice was the last clear thing in Aradia's ears.

"Alright…" Kanaya's voice said, fading out then back in again. "...is gonna hurt. Brace yourself."

That was the last thing Aradia heard before she screamed in pain, immediately blacking out.

 **Alright. I expect many comments asking What the Hell and what not. I'll take it. I know I'm probably a terrible person ;) Also, sorry for the slightly shorter chapter. I figured some of the last few had been really long, and there wasn't much to do with this chapter. The next one or two might be a little longer. Who knows. I'll decide later how much I feel like torturing you/loving on you.**

 **Until next time.**

 **~Jane**


	12. Chapter 12

**Damn Jane, back at it again with those feels! It's time for another chapter! Sorry this one is a little late. To be perfectly honest, I was avoiding writing this chapter. I had no motivation to write it. But here it is!**

 **DISCLAIMER: This Homestuck trash does not belong to my trash can. It belongs to the dumpster of Andrew Hussie.**

Chapter 12

"What are you doing? Run Aradia! Get out of here!" Sollux yelled at the brunnette girl who was standing in the middle of the gang gunfight.

Before he could say anything else, the sound of a gunshot rang through his ears. He checked himself, making sure it wasn't him that was hit. _Wait. If it wasn't me then…_ He heard a yell, and looked up to see Aradia on the ground, a few blood spatters around her. _Hell no. Why now. How could this happen?_

The other Crew members had ceased fire, running back to their vehicles and yelling for a retreat. "My lady Snowman. We must leave." Slick yelled, running into one of their black vans.

Heartbeat pulsing through his ears, the boy looked at Snowman, who had turned to look at him. She stared him down and flashed a wide and borderline maniacal grin. "Have fun at your girlfriend's funeral." She sauntered into the black car, which immediately shut its doors and drove off.

Sollux ran towards the girl, dropping to his knees. "Aradia! What do you think you're doing?" He started checking her over, trying to find where she was shot. _Oh God. There's so much blood. It's all over her. What if she was hit in her stomach. She could die! This isn't good._

"Sollux." Aradia whispered. She looked up at him and placed her hand on his cheek. "Oh Sollux you're alright. I was so worried."

He shook his head, his chocolate hair falling in front of his glasses. It was only then that Sollux found the bullet wound: in the arm Aradia had just lifted. "Don't. Now is not the time. Do you realize you've been shot?" He gingerly held her arm, placing it down on her torso. "We have to get you to a medic. Come here." He grabbed her, one arm under the crook of her knees, the other under her shoulders, and stood up, running as fast as he could towards his base.

"Oh." The girl exclaimed, voice getting noticeably weaker. "It seems I have been."

Sollux made it inside the main doors. "Medic!" He yelled at the top of his lungs. "Come now. The coast is clear, but we have one shot!" He found the nearest bed, which had been placed just inside the entrance in order to tend to the wounded.

Kanaya, their best medic on hand, even though not technically part of the gang, came running with her medical supply kit. "How bad is it?" She asked the gang leader.

"Pretty bad." Sollux fought back the sting in his eyes. "Oh God. Just do something. Please." He looked down at Aradia, who looked like she was fading in and out of consciousness.

The medic sighed. "Alright." She pulled out a pair of tweezers. "The bullet is still lodged in her arm. I'm going to have to dig it out." She faced Aradia. "Alright Aradia. This is gonna hurt. Brace yourself." With that, she plunged the tweezers into the girl's forearm, pulling out a standard 22 millimeter bullet.

The only thing that was heard next was a deafening scream ringing throughout the whole base. Sollux stifled back a sob as he watched Aradia's eyes go wide with the scream, before slumping down unconscious.

 _I can't watch this anymore._ Sollux took off running, making his way to his own room in the base and slamming the door. He slumped down on his makeshift bed and tears started to stream down his face, his body racked with sobs. _How could this happen? I told her I would protect her. That nothing bad would ever happen to her. It's completely my fault. I should have never left her side, let the others handle it. She isn't ever going to trust me again. After I felt like I had made some real progress with her, too. And I was finally going to tell her that I…_ he sighed, reaching a shaking hand towards his spare cigarette pack and lighter. He fumbled with the box, pulling out one cigarette and lighting it, taking a long drag.

A few more minutes passed, and a knock sounded on the door. "Can I come in?" A voice asked through the door.

"It's open." Sollux responded, taking another drag as his partner-in-crime Karkat walked in.

The redhead scoffed. "Dude. I thought you said you would stop that. You know how bad it can be for you."

The older boy took the cigarette between his fingers. "Key word _can_. And besides, it's still better than your way of coping. One big fight with Dave and I had to rush you to the hospital to get stitches all up your arms. So don't try me." He snapped. Seeing the hurt in his friend's eyes softened him. "Hey. KK I'm sorry. I shouldn't bring that up. That was insensitive of me. It's just been a hard day for me, you know?"

"Yes. I do actually." Karkat sat down next to him on the bed. "I've been in the same situation. Let's not forget that time that Dave almost died because he wanted to act tough and try to take on one of our best hand-to-hand combat fighters just to impress me when we started going out. He was out for days, and he still has the scars from the stitches he needed. I'll never forgive myself for letting him go through with it."

The brunette took one last drag of his cigarette stub before standing up and putting it out in the nearest ashtray. "I remember that. But that was different. You were worried because you two were dating. You looked out for each other because you were in love."

"Right…" Karkat responded. "And explain to me how your situation is any different?"

Sollux paused. "What do you mean? I'm not dating Aradia, so of course it's different from your situation!"

The younger boy smirked. "You're right. You aren't dating her. But… you didn't say you weren't in love with her, which you totally are. Dude, I watch enough rom-coms to know what love looks like, and you're the definition of lovestruck, my friend."

The older boy sighed, throwing his hands up in the air. "Fine. You caught me, okay? Yes. I am totally in love with Aradia. She's all I think about. Man, I never thought I would be in love with anyone ever again, but it happened. I just want to hold her and protect her and never let her leave my side and if that is what love is then make me immortal and call me Aphrodite cause I am living it full force. It's just… what if she doesn't survive that shot? I know it wasn't that serious, but she lost a lot of blood. I don't know what I would do if I lost her." Tears started to sting his eyes once more, but he held them back.

"That," Karkat said, standing up. "Is actually why I came to talk to you in the first place. She's okay, man. Kanaya managed to take out the bullet and patch up the hole to stop the bleeding." He pat Sollux's back. "She's gonna be fine."

With that, Sollux's eyes lit up. "Really? Aw man I have to go see her right now!" He jumped up and raced back to the bed she was laying on. Its sheets were covered in her blood. He knelt beside the bed, gazing upon the scene.

Aradia was still unconscious, but she was breathing. Her clothes were stained on her left side with the blood from her arm. Her upper arm was wrapped with clean white gauze. Sollux took her right hand and held it. "Aradia. You're alright. I'm so sorry. I'm sorry I did this to you." He sniffed. "Don't you worry. Those men are going to pay for what they've done tonight. They will pay tenfold... I love you, Aradia." He kissed her hand, and stood up, turning around to go sit in the chair opposite her bed.

"Sollux?" A girl's voice asked weakly. The boy turned back around to see the girl he loved with her eyes fluttering open, revealing her beautiful chocolate brown eyes. "Sollux? Is that you?"

 **Yay! She's okay! Now, I know this chapter was kinda short, but fear not! Next chapter is probably going to be quite lengthy. A lot of stuff is planned for that chapter…**

 **Until next time.**

 **~Jane**


	13. Chapter 13

**Back for more I see? Well, this chapter will surely make up for that little Aradia scare the past two chapters. Enjoy!**

 **DISCLAIMER: I don't own the Homestuck things.**

Chapter 13

 _Everything was dark. Aradia could sense things were going on around her, but could not yet see or hear anything. Suddenly, a hand picked her's up and she felt lips pressed softly against it. Like magic, her other senses started to come back._

Aradia fluttered her eyes open slowly. "Sollux?" She asked, voice weak and course. "Sollux, is that you?" Her vision cleared, revealing the boy whose name she had just called out, standing there in shock.

"Aradia? You're okay! Oh thank God you're alright." The boy put his hands over his mouth, clearly trying to choke back some tears. He turned around, pouring her a glass of water. "You should probably drink something, get some more fluids in your body. Can you sit up?"

The girl nodded, and carefully got out from under the thin sheet that was draped over her and sat upright, crossing her legs. She politely took the cup of water the boy had handed her and took a small sip. It felt good to have the cold water hit her tongue, as if she hadn't had water in weeks.

Sollux sat next to her on the makeshift bed. "How are you feeling?"

"Well, I'm still pretty drowsy, and my arm hurts pretty bad, but otherwise I'm okay." Aradia said, taking another sip of water.

"That's good." The boy replied. "So, how much do you remember of what happened?"

The brunette considered this for a minute. "Um, you were in a fight with the Midnight Crew, and I saw that woman pointing a gun at you, so I ran out and yelled towards you. Then, the woman fired a shot at me, I guess hitting me in the arm, then ran away." She subconsciously grabbed her arm tenderly where she was shot. "After that, you came running towards me and carried me back to the base. I started to black out, so the last clear thing I heard was your voice asking someone to do something. Next thing I know I wake up here."

Sollux nodded and sighed. "Look Aradia. What you did was totally uncalled for. You could have died! Do you realize that?"

"I know." The girl responded. "I know what I did was bad and I'm sorry Sollux. I didn't mean for anything bad to happen, I just didn't want to see you get hurt."

"I understand," the boy put his hand on top of hers. "But seeing you like that, bleeding and unconscious, was worse than anything imaginable. You mean so much to me, Aradia. I don't know if you fully realize that, but you do. I… I love you Aradia."

The girl stopped, looking directly at him. "Sollux, I-"

"No. Listen for just a minute." The boy said. "I love you Aradia Megido, and I haven't said that to anyone in a _very_ long time. I had given up on love, knowing that it could only cause me pain. But that's the thing, pain is what needs to happen to make love stronger. You helped me figure that out. I would go to the ends of the earth just to see you smile. I want to protect you, never let you leave my side. I want to hold you and know that you are mine and I am yours. I want you to be able to fall asleep in my arms at night and know that I will do anything to make sure you are safe. I am concerned for _your_ safety and future, but I don't want to see _my_ future without you in it. I want you to _be_ my future."

The brunette girl started to tear up. "Oh Sollux. Even with your lisp, that was the most romantic thing anyone has ever said to me." She smiled.

Sollux chuckled. "Hey. It's the best I can do. So, will you, Aradia Megido, allow me to be your one and only protector, but more importantly, your boyfriend?"

"Do you even have to ask?" Aradia asked, while leaning towards him, pressing their lips together. She felt Sollux's arms wrap around her waist, pulling them closer together. She felt him smile into the kiss as she cupped his face with her hands and held him there. Their lips melted together as one, moving in perfect harmony, but before long, the kiss was broken, both of them taking a big breath. "So," he said. "Shall we go outside? Only if you're good enough to walk."

"Yeah. I'm fine. Let's just take it slow. I'm still a little woozy from the whole thing." The girl said.

Sollux grabbed her waist and helped her stand up from her bed. He took her hand in his and smiled as they exited the room and walked into the main hall, where most of the gang had gone back to their normal activities, save a few critically injured.

Across the hall, Karkat saw the pair and stood up, grinning and walking towards them. He opened up his arms, and Aradia let go of Sollux's hand to allowed him to accept the hug, since they were rare from the short redhead. "Hey Sollux. Everything good?" Karkat asked.

"Yeah." The older boy responded, taking back Aradia's hand. "Everything's good. How's the rest of the gang?"

The redhead sighed. "They'll live. No one is beat up too badly, all things considered. In other news, Sollux, am I right to assume that… well, that I was right? Judging by the…" he trailed off his voice, gesturing to the two holding hands.

Aradia blushed, knowing what he was referring to. She looked over at Sollux, whose face was redder than a tomato. "Yes, Karkat. If I am guessing correctly, you were right about things." She smiled, looking at the older boy. "Sollux asked if he could be my one and only protector. Oh, yes, and more importantly, my boyfriend." She blushed even more as she felt a kiss placed on top of her head.

"Fantastic! Congrats bro." Karkat exclaimed. He then turned around and shouted. "Hey, Kanaya. I was right. You owe me ten bucks now!"

"Damn it! Well, regardless, congratulations Aradia and Sollux!" The raven shouted, then immediately returned to mending a gang member's arm.

The brunette girl giggled, turning back to the two boys. Suddenly, all the blood drained from her face. "Oh gosh. It's been so long hasn't it? Since I came here? Oh Aunt Lynn must be worried sick about me. I have to-"

"Already took care of it." Sollux interrupted. "While you were unconscious, I grabbed your phone and called your Aunt. I told her you fell asleep at my place and asked if you could stay the night, since I didn't want to wake you up. She happily agreed, since she knew how tired you have been lately and she trusted I would take care of you."

Aradia looked at her boyfriend, slightly in shock. "Impressive. She doesn't warm up to people very easily. So, I guess I still have awhile until I have to go back, but I kinda want to spend time away from all of this." She gestured to the scene around her. Though it was mostly back to normal, pieces of the previous battle still remained. "Can we actually just go back to your place for a little bit?"

"Yeah sure thing." The brunette boy responded. "I'll go find EQ and ask him if he will drive us home. Karkat, you want to come too?"

The younger boy pondered this for a second. "No. I don't think this time. I should probably call Dave and tell him I'm okay. That was our agreement, that I would call him anytime there was a fight just so that he knew I was safe."

 _That's so sweet. It's good that they are so worried about each other's safety._ Aradia thought to herself.

"Alright then. See ya later man." Sollux responded, saluting his friend with two fingers before turning back to Aradia. "Ready to go?"

Aradia nodded. "If it's with you, always." She responded, smiling. She lifted the hand that was intertwined with the boy's and gave it a quick kiss before they went to find Equius.

 **So, does this suffice for a romantic-ish chapter? I hope so, cause I really liked it. Anyway, see you in a few weeks.**

 **~Jane**


	14. Chapter 14

**Helllooooo there! Ready for more?**

 **I would like to point out that a few of these chapters may be slow going, and might not span much time. All of it is for a purpose, I promise.**

 **DISCLAIMER: I don't own the Homestuck.**

Chapter 14

"Thanks for the ride, EQ. See ya later." Sollux said, stepping out of the car and walking around to open the door for Aradia.

"Why thank you." The girl said, giggling as she took his hand, getting out of the car herself. The two waved goodbye to Equius as he drove off and headed inside.

As they were heading for the elevator, Sollux heard a shrill shout behind him. He smiled, knowing only one person with a voice like that.

"Hey Mituna." He said, turning around to hug his older brother. He then smiled at Latula, who was carrying a couple grocery bags. "Do you need help with those, Tula?"

The woman with multi-colored hair nodded. "Yeah that would be great. Thanks." She passed over two full bags to the boy, who took both in one hand so he could still hold Aradia's hand in the other. The four walked down the hall to Mituna and Latula's apartment. Well, three of them were walking, and Mituna was skipping. They all walked in and set the bags down on the kitchen counter.

"I'm gonna go play with my legos, k Tula?" The older Captor said, already bounding off to his room.

"Okay Mituna have fun. Don't step on any like last time!" Latula shouted in response.

The three of them put away the groceries and sat down on the couch. "I should probably introduce some people, huh?" Sollux said, chuckling. "Latula, this is Aradia, the girl I've been protecting. Aradia, Latula. She's my brother's wife."

"It's nice to meet you, Latula." The brunette said, smiling.

The older woman sat back. "Yeah, nice to meet ya too. So, Sollux, you've been protecting this girl. Is this the English girl you were telling me about then?"

"Uh, yes. It is." Sollux responded. "But not only am I her protector," he looked at Aradia and smiled. "I am also now her boyfriend."

"Ah congrats you two. Young love. I would say I don't know what that's like anymore, but as you can see, I seem to live the young life everyday with Mituna around. Keeps me going." Latula remarked, looking at her watch. "Speaking of going, I need to leave for work. Those four jobs don't do themselves." She sighed, standing up.

The younger Captor nodded. "Alright. Well, we should probably head up anyway. Good to see you Tula. Call me if you need anything." He stood up, taking Aradia's hand as she did the same. They exchanged last hugs and Sollux and Aradia headed up to the apartment.

"I'm going to get a drink. Do you want me to make you anything?" Aradia asked, heading for the kitchen.

"No thanks." Sollux responded. "I'll be in my room when you're done." He sauntered off to his bedroom, where he sat on his bed, thinking. _Man. I know I shouldn't do it anymore. I promised I wouldn't. But, considering I had one earlier and I'm really stressed out right now, it will be fine, right? Or does that make it even worse? Ugh screw it I really need one._ With that, he opened his nightstand drawer, pulling out an ashtray, cigarette, and lighter. He put the cigarette between his lips, lit it, and took a long drag, sighing. _I'm so glad that whole Snowman ordeal is over and Aradia was okay, but I don't know how I'm suppose to watch out for her all the time. I mean, she has her aunt, but I can't hover over her like some sort of predator watching it's prey. It's just a learning process. And time. With both of those, Aradia will eventually be with her family again._

The boy's thoughts ceased when he heard a gasp from Aradia, who was standing in the doorway holding a glass of water. Her face read nothing but utter shock. "S-Sollux? Since when did you think it was okay to do something like this? When were you planning on telling me?"

"Okay. I owe you an explanation, I'll give you that." The boy sighed, pushing up his glasses. "To be fair, I didn't think I would have to because I assumed that I was done with the whole thing. Back when I was about 14, gang stuff was pretty bad, and I was under a lot of stress. I wanted a way to cope with it, and after seeing Karkat get sent to the hospital for 'coping' with his stress, I needed something different. So, one of the other members gave me a pack and a lighter, and for about a year and a half, I was hooked." He paused to take another drag as Aradia sat down next to him on the bed. "I mean, obsessed. Like at least 3 packs a day, and that was on a good day. You wouldn't catch me without one of these in my mouth. But then when my brother had his accident two years ago and I couldn't help pay for the bills easily, I realized how much of my life had gone to hell because of these. So, I just quit, cold turkey."

The brunette looked at him, puzzled. "So if you quit, why are you smoking right now?"

"That," Sollux said. "Is because of you. Well, not because of you as a person, but because of what happened to you. See, when you were out cold, I didn't know what to do. I was so scared of losing another person I held so dear to me, it triggered feelings I last felt when my brother was in the hospital. I started to get really stressed. I guess old habits really do die hard. I get it if you don't want to be around me because of this." He took another drag.

The second he cigarette left his lips, he felt a pair of lips replace it. Without thinking, he exhaled the smoke into Aradia's mouth, who instinctively breathed it in. Sollux enjoyed the kiss for a few seconds more before he realized what he had done and pulled away. "I am so sorry Aradia I don't know what came over me oh my god I-"

"It's alright Sollux." Aradia stopped him. "I figured you were going to do that. I don't really mind. People go through different stuff. I am not the person to tell you what you're doing is wrong. I can tell you I'm not all that fond of it, but what you do with it is really none of my business."

Sollux was dumbfounded. Most people right then and there would have rejected him purely because of his smoking. _Damn this is why I love her so much._ "Thanks. Oh, hey, since we're revealing way too much about ourselves, I feel like we don't know a lot about each other. Wanna do lightning round Q and A type stuff?"

"Sure. Sounds fun. I can go first." Aradia responded, shifting her weight, which in turn made the old bed give a shrill creak. "Hm. Okay. Favorite color?"

"Blue." Sollux responded. "Wait. No. Red. No! Dammit. Yellow. That's my final answer. Yellow because it's the color of daffodils, and those were my mother's favorite. What about yours?"

The girl considered for a second. "Red. But not like bright red carpet red. Like a dark red, sort of like the color of like a rose that's near death but is still full and beautiful."

They carried on like that for several rounds, asking anything as simple as favorite food to as weird as if-you-were-any-animal type questions.

"Alright I have one, but you're allowed to not answer this if you don't want to." Aradia said. "You know a lot about my parents, what about yours?"

Sollux tensed up as soon as the question was asked. _She said I didn't have to answer it. Maybe I should take that offer. No, I promised myself I would be open and honest with her. I can't afford secrets at this point._ "Okay. Um… well, I told you how they helped me through all the bullying I got about my eyes when I was little, so I suppose they were like any old parents really. Then when I was 12, we were walking home kind of late at night, and those goons from the Crew ambushed us. My mom called out to Mituna, who was 19 at the time, to take me and run. I, being the 'hero' that I was, tried to refuse, but he just picked me up and ran around the corner. He stopped, letting us watch, in hopes that the whole thing could be resolved." He sighed, tears stinging his eyes.

"You don't have to keep going if you don't want to." The girl said, placing her hand on his leg.

The boy tried to regain composure. "No it's fine. I just haven't told anyone this story since… well, probably since I first roomed with Karkat. It's just been a while. So anyway, that was a big mistake. The second we poked our head around the corner, we saw each of my parents get shot, once," he placed his index finger on his forehead. "Right between the eyes. I had to bite down on my arm just so I didn't scream. My brother had to drag me away, back to our house. That was the last time I saw them."

"Oh Sollux I am so sorry. That is absolutely terrible. But wait, I thought the Crew usually took people as hostages first. Not to sound rude, but why didn't they?" Aradia asked.

"Well, back then, that's not what the Crew was about. They were relatively new to Houston, and needed to exert their power and take over from the other competing gangs." Sollux explained. "So at the time, they didn't need to take hostages. They tried to rob people, and if people refused, they would be shot."

Aradia just sat their, her face sad but it at least looked like she was trying to learn from all of this.

The brunette boy continued. "Anyway, I joined the gang when I turned 13. My brother didn't know I had joined, and I intended to keep it that way. I didn't need him getting involved. But I trained. I tried to get stronger, in hopes of one day getting revenge on the people who killed my parents. Other than that, my brother and I sold the house and moved into an apartment close to the school. He dropped out of college and took a job so he could pay the bills. We got on okay, but that only lasted for a few years. Two years ago, when my brother was 22, he was in a car accident. Most of the doctors didn't think he would make it, and frankly, neither did I. But he did, however not without severe consequences. He had permanent brain damage, with zero chance at recovery. That's why he is like he is now. Latula, who he had married about six months prior, decided he couldn't take care of me, and the two of them moved in together. She offered to take me in too, but I couldn't stand to see my brother like that. I felt like I had once again done something wrong. So, I kept the apartment my brother and I had, and eventually took in Karkat as well."

Without another word, Aradia leaned in and embraced Sollux, who had started to cry. _Dammit. I probably look like a wuss now._

"I'm so sorry that happened to you. I know what it's like to lose your family. But hey," Aradia said, leaning back to look at him. "We will figure this out. Together."

They sat and talked for a little while longer before Aradia stood up. "I should probably head home. Auntie Lynn is probably wondering why I'm not home yet."

"Let me take you home." The boy offered, standing up as well.

"That's sweet Sollux, but how? You said you didn't have a car." The brunette asked.

The boy nodded. "True, I did. But if I recall," He opened his closet doors, pulling out two helmets. "I said I had a motorcycle." He flashed a mischievous grin.

 **Sorry for this being a week late! Hopefully it was worth it.**

 **See you in a week!**

 **~Jane**


	15. Chapter 14 P2

Hey everyone, Jane here.

Sorry this isn't actually going to be a chapter. This is more so I can relay some information to you guys.

So... we've been at this story for quite a while now, and don't get me wrong, I love it. But there are a lot of things going on in my life right now and I really just don't have the energy or dedication to write chapters that I think you guys deserve. Because of that, I will be going on an unknown hiatus from this story.

That being said, I definitely do plan on continuing to write it as soon as I am in a better state in my life to do so.

I hope you all understand, and thank you so much for all the support this story has been getting. I love it so very much.

Until next time,

~Jane


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